ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 195186
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Tuesday 2 May 2017 |
| Time: | 15:28 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32-260 Cherokee Six |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N3457W |
| MSN: | 32-326 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1966 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5766 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-E4B5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | South of Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field) (KPAE), Everett, WA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Everett, WA (PAE) |
| Klamath Falls, OR (LMT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The private pilot reported that, during the initial climb shortly after takeoff, the airplane lost partial engine power. He tried a series of troubleshooting steps, but with limited time available, he then performed a forced landing onto a street just beyond the runway. The airplane impacted power transmission cables and traffic lights during the descent, rupturing both wingtip fuel tanks and spraying ignited fuel onto cars at the intersection below. The airplane sustained substantial damage when it collided with the ground and came to rest on the street.
The airplane had been fueled almost to capacity just before takeoff and postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the carburetor revealed multiple maintenance-related discrepancies, all of which could have resulted in a loss of engine power. One of the discrepancies was related to the float, which appeared to have been touching the wall of the carburetor bowl. A witness reported visible exhaust emissions coming from the engine during flight, and the spark plugs were coated in black soot. Both observations were indicative of an excessively rich fuel-to-air mixture, consistent with a stuck carburetor float. As such, the loss of engine power was likely the result of a stuck carburetor float.
Based on atmospheric conditions, carburetor icing could not be ruled out; however, the airplane began the takeoff ground roll almost immediately after the pilot performed the engine runup, which included the application of carburetor heat, and it is unlikely that the loss of engine power was the result of carburetor icing.
The pilot accepted an intersection takeoff due to a passenger jet performing taxi tests at the approach end of the runway. Had he chosen to use the full runway length, he likely would have had enough runway available to safely land the airplane following the loss of power.
Probable Cause: The improper maintenance of the carburetor, which resulted in a stuck float and a partial loss of engine power during takeoff.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N3457W
Location
Media:
BREAKING: New, dramatic dash-cam video of small plane as it struck power lines and crash-landed in Mukilteo. Courtesy of Guanting Li. pic.twitter.com/DCSZEydZci
— #Q13FOX (@Q13FOX) May 3, 2017
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-May-2017 23:36 | Geno | Added |
| 02-May-2017 23:38 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Source] |
| 02-May-2017 23:56 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Phase, Source] |
| 03-May-2017 11:19 | harro | Updated [Embed code] |
| 03-May-2017 17:15 | cole.goldberg | Updated [Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 22-May-2017 18:26 | Anon. | Updated [Destination airport] |
| 28-Nov-2018 14:44 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation