- Date
- December 18, 1991, 15:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Goshen, NY
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N55685Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911218056989A
- Case key
- 37121
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
The loss of engine power resulting from the ingestion of a foreign object into the carburetor and the subsequent forced landing in trees. A factor related to the accident was the maintenance performed on the airplane by unauthorized personnel.
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 instructor and student were practicing training maneuvers when a loss of engine power occurred. The airplane collided with trees during a forced landing. An examination of the engine by the FAA revealed that a piece of rubber seal from the landing light had broken loose and jammed in the carburetor. The seal had been replaced by an unqualified person employed by the flight school.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55685
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7325457
- Airframe hours
- 2,781
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Century Air Inc.
- Registered owner
- Century Air Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 7, 1991 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- MMU · Morristown, 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
- 33
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,420 total · 1,200 in this make and model · 1,230 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.