Piper PA-32-301 N8152Z

Summary

On 12 August 2011 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA-32-301 registered N8152Z, operated by Redemption, Inc., was involved in an accident near Kodiak, Alaska, 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

12 August 2011 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Kodiak, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Kodiak (PADQ)

Coordinates

57.7431, -152.6228

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-301

Registration

N8152Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Redemption, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kodiak → Kodiak

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC11CA075

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power while on approach to land due to a disconnected throttle control linkage, and the maintenance director's inadequate inspection of the throttle linkage during maintenance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and the operator's director of maintenance (DOM) were on a postmaintenance check flight. According to the pilot, while approaching to land, the throttle control became inoperative, resulting in a partial loss of engine power. The pilot selected a tidal beach as a forced landing site but was unable to reach it and landed in shallow water short of the site. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The DOM reported that, while troubleshooting a recurring complaint of low engine manifold pressure, he noticed that the castellated nut, which connects the throttle linkage to the fuel control servo, was loose. He said that he removed the cotter pin, tightened the nut, and reinstalled the cotter pin. A postaccident engine examination revealed that a self-locking nut was missing from the throttle linkage arm, resulting in the disconnection of the throttle cable. The DOM said that the missing locknut was not the same one that he tightened but was a nut on the other end of the throttle linkage arm, about 2 inches from the castellated nut that he tightened. The DOM noted that he should have checked the security of the self-locking nut, but he did not. The self-locking nut was not recovered.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.