Powell GLASAIR N59LP

Summary

On 2 April 1996 at about 18:58 local time, a Powell GLASAIR registered N59LP, operated by Bobby A. Hockett, was involved in an accident near Groveland, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 April 1996 at 18:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Groveland, California, United States

Nearest airport

Pine Mountain Lake (Q68)

Coordinates

37.8499, -120.0109

Aircraft

Powell GLASAIR

Registration

N59LP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Bobby A. Hockett

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX96LA152

1 person died.

the pilot's decision to fly the aircraft with a known mechanical discrepancy in the throttle linkage, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power; and his failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering for an emergency landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. Inadequate maintenance/annual inspection was a related factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot (part owner of the aircraft) held an A&P certificate & had completed a condition/annual inspection of the aircraft before the flight. The aircraft co-owner stated there was a problem with the throttle cable, & the pilot was going to order a new one, but had not yet done so. Witnesses said the aircraft departed straight out after takeoff. About 4 minutes later, it entered a downwind to the pattern, low & very close to the runway. The witnesses estimated the aircraft's altitude was between 200 and 300 feet agl. At first, some witnesses thought the pilot was going to make a downwind landing on the runway. The witnesses said the aircraft made a tight turn from downwind to base. During the base-to-final turn, the right wing dropped, and the aircraft entered a nose-down descent and crashed. The witnesses heard the engine running before impact, but they described the sound as 'not full power.' An examination of the engine & controls revealed that a clip, which secured the accelerator pump plunger to its actuation shaft in the carburetor, was missing & the pump was inoperative. The throttle cable housing/actuating shaft at the carburetor end was found separated from the cable sheath, exposing the unsupported inside cable. A piece of welding rod was found bent around the housing end & taped to the sheath. The cable was removed from the aircraft & operationally tested. During push-pull tests, the carburetor end would sometimes move an amount corresponding to the cockpit end input; at other times, the carburetor end would move only slightly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.