- Date
- December 4, 2023, 19:30 local (Dec 5, 2023, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9166JPiper PA-28-180
- Defining event
- Enroute: Part(s) separation from AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20231204022139A
- Case key
- 193480
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
A failure of the engine cowling right side latch pin and fasteners, which resulted in the partial separation of the engine cowling during flight.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the flight instructor, while in cruise flight transitioning between airports, the right side of the engine upper cowling came unlatched and struck the windshield. The left side of the upper cowling remained attached, and the pilot landed without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the windshield. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right front fastener pin, which secures the front of the upper cowling adjacent to the air intake, had separated from the cowling structure. This likely allowed the forward right side of the upper cowling to separate from the lower cowling and move up into the airstream, resulting in the overload failure of the right side cowling latches.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9166J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-3226
- Built
- 1966
- Airframe hours
- 5,899.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Red Rock Flying School LLC
- Registered owner
- Red Rock Flying School LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 16, 2023
- Departed
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Airport
- IWA · Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, runway 30L, 10,401 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 7, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,277 total · 950 in this make and model · 1,129 as pilot in command · 207 in the last 90 days · 51 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KIWA, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KIWA 050253Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 15/04 A3013
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 15, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.