- Date
- August 8, 1983, 09:40 local (13:40 UTC)
- Place
- Brandon, FL
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5888WPiper PA-28-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830808041999A
- Case key
- 30797
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft collided with trees and the ground after the engine lost power during takeoff. The CFI noted the RPM dropping to 2000 with full throttle and at about 75 AGL and tried to arrest the descent with flaps but was unsuccessful. One takeoff had been aborted due to poor acceleration but the CFI had thought it was improper throttle technique on the partof the student. Post accident engine examination revealed old type valve springs installed that should have been replaced by pn LW11800. A mechanic had installed new springs but of an incorrect type with incorrect color coding. Avco Lycoming service instruction 1240B called for the change to improve engine performance with the recommended improved valve springs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5888W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-2622
- Airframe hours
- 3,574
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William Joseph Koehler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 5, 1983 · 17 hours before
- Airport
- X18 · Brandon, runway 27, 2,775 × 100 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 25
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 964 total · 63 in this make and model · 883 as pilot in command · 181 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TPA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.