Piper PA-28-161 N4332W

Summary

On 21 October 2002 at about 23:45 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N4332W, operated by Falcon Executive Aviation, was involved in an accident near Queen Creek, Arizona, 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

21 October 2002 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Queen Creek, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

33.2514, -111.5181

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N4332W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Falcon Executive Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesa → Mesa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03LA015

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 airplane collided with a tree during a forced landing at an abandoned airstrip. A certified flight instructor and a student were performing a practice engine failure maneuver at an abandoned airstrip with a 1,500-foot-long by 50-foot-wide landing area. About 500 feet above ground level, the instructor terminated the maneuver and told the student to make a go-around and abort the simulated maneuver. The student manipulated the throttle control to the full power position, but left the carburetor heat control in the "on" position. The instructor said the engine did not respond to throttle input. The instructor assumed the controls and maneuvered to complete the landing on the abandoned airstrip below but inadvertently overshot the intended landing surface. While maneuvering the airplane back to the airstrip, the airplane's left wing collided with a tree. Post accident examination of the airframe systems, the engine, and a test run of the engine found no anomalies or failures that would have precluded the engine from operating normally.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.