Piper PA-44-180 N2922X

Summary

On 9 February 2008 at about 04:26 local time, a Piper PA-44-180 registered N2922X, operated by Gavin Aviation, was involved in an accident near Piru, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 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

9 February 2008 at 04:26

Classification

Accident

Location

Piru, California, United States

Coordinates

34.4294, -118.7505

Aircraft

Piper PA-44-180

Registration

N2922X

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Gavin Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Camarillo → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

SEA08LA073

3 people had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing factors were the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing and dark night conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The CFI certified flight instructor reported that during a night time training flight, the student pilot was conducting a series of simulated instrument approaches when the airplane started to encounter light to moderate turbulence. As the CFI and student pilot terminated one of the practice approaches, the airplane encountered "severe turbulence" followed by both engines losing power. The CFI initiated a forced landing to a dark area adjacent to a highway. During the descent, the CFI stated he was able to restart the left engine but had no throttle response and was unable to restart the right engine. As the descent continued, the CFI "…pulled both mixtures back to idle cutoff and pulled the fuel valves to off." He added that he was unable to see the ground until the airplane was about 50 feet above ground level. Subsequently, the airplane impacted trees and the ground before it came to rest within a small open field. The pilot-rated student receiving instruction reported while maneuvering the turbulence "became extreme" and the "airplane jolted strongly." The student pilot recalled that after the turbulence encounter, both engines lost power and despite numerous attempts, the engines would not restart. The student pilot stated after the landing, he attempted to secure the airplane and noted he was unable to move the fuel selectors to the "OFF" position and that the fuel selectors were "jammed/broken." Recovery personnel reported that 20 gallons of 100-low led fuel were drained from each wing fuel tank. Examination of the recovered airframe and fuel system revealed no evidence of pre-impact anomalies. Examination of the left and right engines and system components revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.