Piper PA28-180F N2133T

Summary

On 18 March 2006 at about 20:45 local time, a Piper PA28-180F registered N2133T was involved in an accident near Easley, South Carolina, United States. One person was 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

18 March 2006 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Easley, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Williams Port (SC86)

Coordinates

34.8333, -82.3500

Aircraft

Piper PA28-180F

Registration

N2133T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Easley → Easley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL06LA053

1 person had minor injuries.

Loss of engine power for undetermined reasons which resulted in a forced landing and subsequent in-flight collision with non-suitable terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, following takeoff, he made a left standard pattern and turned to the north and climbed to about 3,000 feet. Upon reaching altitude, he leveled off and retarded the throttle to cruise power and turned off the fuel pump. At that time, the engine began running rough like a "magneto failure". He immediately turned the fuel pump back on, made a left standard turn back toward the runway. The engine continued to lose power and he could get no response from the throttle. He tried to glide to the runway, but then realized he was going to be short. He elected to land in a road intersection. He saw two sets of power wires in his path and went over the first set and had to go under the second set. Unable to regain altitude, he impacted the ground thirty yards short of the road and slid through the intersection. Damage consisted of the left wing, left main landing gear, nose gear, engine mount, firewall, and tearing of the bottom right wing lower skin. Examination of the engine by the FAA found fuel in the gascolator and carburetor bowl with a small amount of water in both. The throttle cable was attached and functioning. There were no obstructions observed in the intake manifold. The magnetos, spark plugs and compression were all within normal limits, and valve and valve train continuity was established through to the accessory section. The engine was not run due to the collapsed nose gear. The FAA further stated that all systems inspected appeared normal and that he suspected an intermittent fuel supply problem.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.