- Date
- July 28, 1983, 10:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- North Platte, NE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N25087Piper PA-38
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830728037269A
- Case key
- 33453
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 pilot had been flying for about 1 hour in the local area and was returning from the practice area at 1100 feet AGL. In preparation for landing he advanced the mixture to full rich and the engine lost power. He tried emerg procedures but the engine did not respond. The pilot stated that he moved the throttle and the mixture back and forth and switched fuel tanks, but the engine did not respond. He made a left turn and landed in a cornfield. The owner of the acft examined the engine but did not find evidence to explain the reported engine failure. At the time of the accident the surface temp was 78F and the dew point was 63F. According to the carburator icing probability chart, that combination of temp/dew point is conducive to moderate carburetor icing at cruise power and serious icing at descent power. The pilot said he had not used carburetor heat during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25087
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-80A0027
- Airframe hours
- 1,515
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Trego Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 22, 1983 · 15 hours before
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- LBF · Lee Bird, runway 17, 4,434 × 100 ft, macadam
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
- 18
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 33 total · 33 in this make and model · 15 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LBF, 3 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.