Piper PA-24-250 N328EJ

Summary

On 13 January 2002 at about 22:37 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N328EJ was involved in an accident near Oceano, 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

13 January 2002 at 22:37

Classification

Accident

Location

Oceano, California, United States

Nearest airport

Oceano County (L52)

Coordinates

35.1014, -120.6222

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N328EJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oceano → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX02LA065

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to the separation of the mixture control cable from the mixture control arm of the carburetor. The mixture cable separation was due to maintenance personnel's failure to secure the mixture control cable away from the nose landing gear, which resulted in the cable snagging during gear extension. A factor in the accident was the airplane being overdue for an annual inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane lost engine power in the traffic pattern and collided with an airport perimeter fence when it landed short of the runway. The pilot reported that while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he lowered the landing gear. He heard a loud bang from the firewall area, and the instrument panel caved in. The engine lost power, and he maneuvered the airplane towards the airport. The airplane touched down about 500 to 1,000 feet short of the runway, and collided with an airport perimeter fence. A post accident examination of the airplane revealed that the mixture control cable separated at the mixture control arm. The engine control bracket, part number 21189-00, was missing. Without the bracket, the mixture control cable hangs freely down below the engine, where the nose gear is located when in the retracted position. A kink in the mixture cable indicated that it became caught on a Zerk fitting located on the pivot point of the nose landing gear when the nose gear was extended to the down position. This resulted in the mixture control cable separating from the mixture control arm on the carburetor. Maintenance records revealed that the airplane was about 2 months overdue for an annual inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.