Piper PA-38-112 N2466D

Summary

On 12 July 2000 at about 18:30 local time, a Piper PA-38-112 registered N2466D, operated by Golden Eagle Enterprises, Inc., was involved in an accident near Selma, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 July 2000 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Selma, California, United States

Coordinates

36.5296, -119.6403

Aircraft

Piper PA-38-112

Registration

N2466D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Golden Eagle Enterprises, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Fresno

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX00LA264

Nobody was injured.

A cracked plastic fuel selector handle that precluded proper engagement of the internal mechanism to fully select a port, and left it in an intermediate position, restricting the fuel supply to the engine, which subsequently lead to a loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a touch-and-go takeoff the student pilot switched the fuel selector to the opposite tank, and the engine quit. The CFI took the controls and made an off-airport landing in a vineyard at the departure end of the runway. During the on-scene inspection of the airframe, a functional check of the fuel system was conducted. When the master switch was engaged and the electric boost pump placed in the ON position, it was noted that the pump was working, but there was no fuel pressure observed or fuel found in the gascolator. An inspection was then conducted on the fuel selector valve. After removal, the valve was found in-between the left and right port openings, and the fuel valve control rod could not be turned manually. The plastic fuel selector handle was removed and found cracked. The brass insert that is housed in the fuel selector handle and attaches to the fuel valve control rod would not engage completely inside the plastic handle. There were no previous signs of cracks in the plastic fuel selector handle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.