Piper PA-28-140 N15037

Summary

On 12 October 2012 at about 22:35 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N15037, operated by ACE Pilot Training Inc, was involved in an accident near Allentown, Pennsylvania, 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 October 2012 at 22:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Lehigh Valley International (ABE)

Coordinates

40.5022, -75.4406

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N15037

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

ACE Pilot Training Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Allentown → Allentown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13LA025

Nobody was injured.

The operator's failure to perform magneto inspections per the manufacturer's recommendations and failure to comply with the engine manufacturer's recommended time interval for engine overhaul, which resulted in defects in the magnetos going undetected and the failure of the right magneto during initial climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the initial climb, the engine lost partial power, and the flight instructor performed a forced landing into a cornfield. During a subsequent test-run of the engine, the engine would lose all power if only the right magneto was selected. Laboratory examination of the right magneto revealed that seven teeth from its drive gear were fractured and exhibited single-sided bending fatigue, consistent with applied force in one direction over a period of time. At the time of the accident, the engine had accumulated about 2,300 hours since overhaul, which had been completed about 7 years prior. The accident magnetos had not been replaced or serviced since they were installed during engine overhaul. The engine manufacturer recommended overhauling the engine every 2,000 hours or 12 years, which would have included replacing the magnetos with new or overhauled units. Additionally, a service bulletin issued by the magneto manufacturer recommended inspecting the magnetos every 500 hours; however, there was no evidence that an inspection was ever performed during the 2,300-hour life of the failed magneto.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.