Piper PA-28R-200 N9418N

Summary

On 19 December 1997 at about 01:20 local time, a Piper PA-28R-200 registered N9418N was involved in an accident near Fairplain, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 December 1997 at 01:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairplain, West Virginia, United States

Coordinates

38.7678, -81.6626

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-200

Registration

N9418N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Charleston → Gaithersburg

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC98LA045

1 person was seriously injured.

an improper overhaul of the fuel servo by the manufacturer, which resulted in the loss of engine power. Factors in the accident were the dark night conditions and rough forced landing terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was in cruise flight at 7,500 feet with the engine producing satisfactory power. The pilot said the engine slowly and smoothly lost power over a 10-15 second duration. The engine completely lost power over an unlighted rural area and the pilot struck trees and collided with terrain during the subsequent forced landing. Examination of aircraft records revealed the engine and the fuel control were overhauled by their respective manufacturers and the engine was installed 2 weeks prior to the accident. The engine had accumulated 14.6 hours since overhaul. Examination of the engine revealed no mechanical deficiencies. Examination of the fuel control servo revealed that a lock nut was no longer installed. The initial flow tests revealed a flow rate equivalent to idle cut off. When a test nut was installed, the unit flowed 'perfectly.' When questioned about the performance of the fuel servo and the engine with the outer nut no longer installed in the servo, the Inspector stated, 'Basically, what it does is it shuts off the fuel when that nut backs off. It's just like pulling it to idle cut off.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.