- Date
- January 23, 1988, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mendon, MA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N663FLPiper PA-28
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880123001209A
- Case key
- 36085
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Off airport landing due to engine power loss for undetermined reasons.
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
A short field takeoff was being made due to the near gross weight of the acft. Shortly after takeoff at an alt of about 1,100 ft, the acft experienced a vibration and the eng began to lose power. All attempts to regain power were unsuccessful. After completing a 180 deg turn toward the airport, power was completely lost. Insufficient alt remained to land safely on the runway. The acft was stalled into trees and subsequently collided with the terrain. Post accident inspection of the eng and acft failed to reveal the cause of the power loss.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N663FL
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-1725583
- Airframe hours
- 2,769
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John Sarmanian, Sr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 1B6 · Hopedale, MA
- Destination
- AIY · Bader Field, NJ
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 328 total · 296 in this make and model · 278 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.