Piper PA-28-235 N9338W

Summary

On 20 October 2003 at about 23:18 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N9338W was involved in an accident near Mesa, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 October 2003 at 23:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesa, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Falcon Field (FFZ)

Coordinates

33.4608, -111.7283

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235

Registration

N9338W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesa → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA021

2 people were seriously injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Also causal, was the pilot's inadequate preflight and failure to secure the right side of the engine cowling prior to departure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane stalled and collided with the ground during an attempted return to runway maneuver. During the initial climb from runway 22R the pilot reported to the tower that he had a loose panel and he needed to return to the airport. A witness reported that the airplane departed with an open cowling. After lifting from the runway, the airplane turned left and then stalled. The witness lost visual contact with the airplane when it descended below a tree line. The airplane collided with terrain about 250 yards southwest of runway 4L. Post accident examination of the airplane revealed that the attachment fittings for the cowling on the right side were unlatched and not damaged. The left attachment fittings for the cowling were latched and deformed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.