ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 138525
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| Date: | Sunday 4 September 2011 |
| Time: | 15:00 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-18-150 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N13973 |
| MSN: | 18-8985 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1972 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1364 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 1 mile north of McGrath, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Kingston Creek, AK |
| McGrath, AK (PAMC) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The airplane was on short final approach to the airport when its engine would not respond to throttle input. The airplane descended into trees and impacted terrain. The pilot reported that immediately prior to the loss of engine power, he had made an elevator trim control adjustment and was in the process of making a throttle adjustment when he heard a snap and the engine quit operating, "as if the magnetos had been shut off." Examination of the airplane established that the throttle cable was intact. The engine was run, and no anomalies were noted. During the engine run, the magneto switches were turned off while the engine was at cruise rpm. The switches made an audible click/snap when turned off. Following a similar August 29, 2011, accident also involving a Piper PA-18 airplane, the pilot reported that, during the initial climb, he inadvertently switched off the engine magnetos with his coat sleeve while using the trim handle, causing the airplane’s engine to shut down. As with this accident airplane, the magneto switches were located on the left side of the cabin, just above the trim handle. As a result of incidents involving the inadvertent shutting off of the magneto switches, the Federal Aviation Administration published a notice of proposed rulemaking announcing its intent to issue an airworthiness directive requiring the reconfiguration of the magneto switches on Piper PA-18 airplanes. Given the absence of any mechanical issues with the airplane, as well as the location of the magneto switches and the trim handle, it is likely the pilot inadvertently shut off the magnetos switches while trimming the airplane on short final approach.
Probable Cause: The pilot inadvertently switched off the engine magnetos during short final approach, which resulted in a loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the manufacturer's placement of the magneto switches in the cabin.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: https://www.dps.alaska.gov/pio/dispatch/trooper%20dispatches%20of%2009-06-2011.20110906.txt
https://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20110904X12448&key=1
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N13973
http://www.airnav.com/airport/PAMC
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 30 April 1978 | N13973 | 1 | near Homer, AK | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Sep-2011 11:29 | Geno | Added |
| 14-Sep-2011 23:19 | Geno | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 17:14 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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