NTSB Identification: CEN12LA124
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, January 03, 2012 in San Angelo, TX
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/20/2012
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-160, registration: N5768W
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
While on the downwind leg of the landing pattern, the flight instructor asked the student to switch fuel tanks in order to balance the remaining fuel. Shortly thereafter, the student added power to adjust his approach path to the runway but the engine did not respond. The student switched back to the previous fuel tank; however, engine power was not restored. The airplane was substantially damaged during the forced landing. The flight instructor stated that, during the previous flight, the student had mentioned that the fuel selector valve did not have a noticeable detent position and asked if it was normal for the selector to rotate 360 degrees. The flight instructor was not familiar with the accident airplane and its various nuances and had not flown it before the day of the accident. A postaccident examination of the engine, fuel selector valve, and fuel systems revealed no anomalies. A representative of the airplane’s manufacturer indicated that the fuel selector valve was an older type that allows the valve to rotate without restriction; newer valve designs restrict travel so that the “off” position cannot be selected without depressing a stop. The airplane was not operating in weather conditions favorable for the formation of carburetor icing at the time of accident. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
On January 3, 2012, approximately 1730 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-160 airplane, N5768W, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near San Angelo, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The certified flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The local flight departed the San Angelo Regional Airport (KSJT), San Angelo, Texas, approximately 1705.
The flight instructor reported that they were performing touch-and-go landings in the traffic pattern. While on the downwind leg, the flight instructor asked the student to switch fuel tanks in order to balance the remaining fuel. Shortly thereafter, the student added power to adjust his approach path to the runway and the engine did not respond. The student switched back to the previous tank; however, engine power was not restored. During the forced landing, the right wing struck a tree and separated from the airplane.
The flight instructor stated that during the previous flight, the student had mentioned that the fuel selector valve did not have a noticeable detent position and asked if it was normal for the selector to rotate 360 degrees. The flight instructor was not familiar with the accident airplane and had not flown it prior to the day of the accident. He stated that he was not familiar with the various nuances of the accident airplane.
An on scene examination of the engine, conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), revealed no anomalies. On February 29, 2012, the fuel selector valve and fuel assembly were examined by investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board and Piper Aircraft. The examination revealed that the fuel selector valve was firm to rotate with notable detents at the prescribed positions. The fuel lines, filters, and fuel pump were free of blockage. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.
The temperature and dew point at the time of the accident were 15 degrees and minus 7 degrees Celsius respectively. A review of the carburetor icing probability chart, located in the FAA's Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, dated 6/30/2009, revealed that the airplane was not operating in an area favorable for the formation of carburetor icing.
Photo by Patrick Dove
Patrick Dove/Standard-Times
A Piper Cherokee B aircraft is wedged against a log cabin after crash landing at the KOA Campgrounds near Lake Nasworthy in San Angelo. The pilot of the four-seat, single-engine airplane was lining up for a touch-and-go at San Angelo Regional Airport when the aircraft lost power and crashed, said an official with the Department of Public Safety. The pilot and passenger were uninjured.
SAN ANGELO, Texas — A single-engine airplane crashed Tuesday afternoon at the KOA Campgrounds near Lake Nasworthy a few miles east of Mathis Field, San Angelo's main air terminal.
The Piper Cherokee four-seater, low-wing plane, occupied by a student pilot and an instructor, was headed to Mathis Field and lost power while switching fuel tanks, State Trooper William Dykstra said.
Neither man in the plane was injured, Dykstra said, and both were checked by EMS personnel at the crash site, where firefighters, state troopers, county deputies and city police responded.
San Angelo Regional Airport Director Luis Elguezabal said he could release only limited information because the crash occurred off airport grounds.
He said the plane was doing touch-and-go maneuvers when the airport tower lost sight of it.
"I was contacted by the (Police Department) and came to assist," Elguezabal said.
He said information on the crash has been passed on to the Federal Aviation Administration for a formal investigation.
The plane struck a mesquite tree as it landed, shearing off one of its wings, and came to rest lodged against a log cabin. No one on the ground was injured, Dykstra said.
The student pilot is from San Angelo, and the instructor is from Winters, Dykstra said.
Their names were not released at the scene.
Source: http://www.gosanangelo.com
A Piper Cherokee single-engine airplane crashed Tuesday afternoon at the KOA site near Lake Nasworthy a few miles east of Mathis Field, the main air terminal for San Angelo.
Firefighters, state troopers, county deputies and city police could be seen at the crash site.
FAA records show the plane is registered to a San Angelo owner.
The four-seater, low-wing plane, occupied by a student pilot and an instructor, was headed toward Mathis Field and lost power while switching fuel tanks, Texas state trooper William Dykstra said. Neither of the men in the plane was injured in the crash, Dykstra said, and both were checked by EMS personnel at the crash site. No one on the ground was injured, he said.
The plane struck a mesquite tree as it landed, shearing off one of the wings, and came to rest lodged against a log cabin. No one on the ground was injured, Dykstra said.
The student pilot was from San Angelo and the instructor was from Winters, Dykstra said.
Their names were not released at the scene.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 5768W Make/Model: PA28 Description: PA-28 CHEROKEE, ARROW, WARRIOR, ACHER, D
Date: 01/03/2012 Time: 0000
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: SAN ANGELO State: TX Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT LOST POWER WHILE IN FLIGHT AND LANDED IN A FIELD STRIKING A TREE.
SAN ANGELO, TX
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Training Phase: Cruise Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: SAN ANTONIO, TX (SW17) Entry date: 01/04/2012
