The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Sacramento, California
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
https://registry.faa.gov/N2250S
Location: Grass Valley, CA
Accident Number: WPR19LA003
Date & Time: 10/08/2018, 1100 PDT
Registration: N2250S
Aircraft: Piper PA28
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Instructional
On October 8, 2018, at 1100 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161, N2250S, experienced a loss of engine power during cruise flight and the pilot subsequently made a forced landing to an open field about 6 miles northwest of Nevada County Airport (GOO), Grass Valley, California. The solo student pilot was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The airplane was registered to Fox Two LLC, and operated by Mach 5 Aviation as an instructional flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed Auburn Municipal Airport (AUN), Auburn, California, at 0730. A visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed.
According to the pilot, the airplane was fueled prior to departure from AUN; the left tank was full, and the right tank was filled "to the tabs." The airplane was not refueled during the cross-country flight.
The pilot planned the round robin cross-country flight from Auburn with intermediate landings at Lincoln (LHM), Colusa County (O08), Willows (WLW), Haigh (037), Red Bluff (RBL) Grass Valley (GOO) and back to AUN.
The accident flight was the second to last leg of the round robin cross-country flight. The pilot sated that about five miles from GOO, at 5,000 feet msl, the engine sputtered. The pilot cycled the fuel pump from the ON position to the OFF position, and back to the ON position with no change. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, to no avail, as the airplane descend. Unable to reach the intended destination, the pilot maneuvered the airplane to an open field. Upon touchdown, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane spun before it came to rest coming to rest upright in the open field.
The airplane was recovered for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N2250S
Model/Series: PA28 161
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: Mach 5 Aviation
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: GOO, 31576 ft msl
Observation Time: 1100 PDT
Distance from Accident Site: 6 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 19°C / -5°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 7 knots / , 240°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 26.7 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: Unknown
Departure Point: Red Bluff, CA (RBL)
Destination: Grass Valley, CA (GOO)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude: 39.237222, -121.111111 (est)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Did he remember to use the fuel selector to switch the tanks? I learned to fly in low-wing Pipers and always switch the tanks at the top & bottom of the hour every hour. I also always have the lineman top the airplane off before every flight. With 48 gal of usable fuel and assuming fuel burn of 10gph, I start looking for an airport for fuel once I've been airborne for 4 hrs tops.
ReplyDelete