Piper PA-24-250 N7466P

Summary

On 21 November 2005 at about 00:10 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N7466P was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 November 2005 at 00:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Tucson, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

La Cholla Airpark (57AZ)

Coordinates

32.4467, -111.0028

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N7466P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tucson → Klamath Falls

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX06LA044

1 person had minor injuries.

the separation of the mixture cable at the carburetor control arm, which resulted in a loss of power, and maintenance personnel's inadequate inspection of the airplane during the last annual inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane landed hard during a forced landing following a loss of engine power in cruise flight. After a normal departure the airplane climbed to about 4,800 feet mean sea level (msl). The pilot noticed an audible difference in the engine operation, as if it were making intermittent pauses. As he was flying back to the airpark the engine continued to operate abnormally and began to make severe "popping" sounds. Despite the pilot's efforts, the engine failed to respond to his troubleshooting attempts and subsequently lost power. The airplane touched down about 1/3 down the runway, contacting the surface hard. A post-accident inspection preformed by a Federal Aviation Administration certificated mechanic who also holds an Inspection Authorization (IA) revealed that the mixture cable had disconnected at the carburetor. Specifically, the mixture linkage was separated where the cable adjoins the mixture control arm. The pilot and mechanic opined that the separation of the linkage would decrease the fuel supply and alter the fuel/air ratio, resulting in a subsequent loss of power. The airplane had last undergone an annual inspection 44 flight hours prior to the accident; the cable was last inspected at that time. The pilot stated that due to the location of the mixture cable, the mechanic would have to remove the cable from the throttle arm to inspect it in its entirety. The airplane's service manual states that during every 100-hour inspection the mechanic should inspect the mixture cable for, "travel and operating condition."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.