Piper PA-28 N6315R

Summary

On 12 January 2002 at about 16:20 local time, a Piper PA-28 registered N6315R was involved in an accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States. One person was 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 January 2002 at 16:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Nantucket Memorial (ACK)

Coordinates

41.2698, -70.1002

Aircraft

Piper PA-28

Registration

N6315R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hyannis → Nantucket

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC02LA048

Nobody was injured.

a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on a VFR flight. The departure, climb, and en route portions were "uneventful." Once in the terminal area, the pilot was cleared to land on runway 30, so he initiated a descent to 1,000 feet agl. Once on a right downwind, the pilot reduced engine power to 1,500 to 1,700 rpm. He set the mixture control to full rich, and selected the fuel pump and carburetor heat to "ON." On "base," the pilot noticed he was approximately 200 feet low. He increased power to maintain altitude, but the engine did not respond. The pilot checked the mixture control, fuel selector, fuel pump switch, and magneto switches, but did not identify any configuration problems. He then selected the carburetor heat to "OFF" and set the throttle to full open. The engine still did not respond. Unable to make the airport, the pilot identified an open field, and selected full flaps. The airplane touched down, bounced once, touch down again, and then struck a tree with the left wing before coming to a stop. An engine run was performed after the accident. During the run, the engine ran "normally," but idled between 450 and 500 rpm, instead of the recommended 750 rpm. With carburetor heat "ON" and the throttle in the idle position, the engine "almost quit." In addition, weather conditions at the accident site were conducive for serious icing with glide power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.