Piper PA28 N1845J

Summary

On 18 August 2012 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N1845J was involved in an accident near Leesburg, Ohio, 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

18 August 2012 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Leesburg, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Donner Field Airport (OH28)

Coordinates

39.3391, -83.5504

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N1845J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Leesburg → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA569

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper preflight planning and decision to attempt a takeoff from a runway that was too short for conditions, which resulted in the airplane settling into terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was taking off on a 2,100 foot grass runway with a quartering tailwind. The pilot stated that the airplane lifted off and climbed normally until it passed the end of the runway, at which time the engine "coughed" and lost power. A witness stated that the airplane's speed during the takeoff and climb was slow and that the airplane reached an altitude of about 40-50 feet above the runway end. A review of the airplane's takeoff performance data from a hard surface runway showed that the airplane's takeoff distance over a 50-foot obstacle was nearly equal to the runway length for the density altitude at the time of the accident. However, the soft grass runway surface, runway slope, and quartering tailwind present during the accident takeoff would have further lengthened the airplane's takeoff distance. Because of these considerations, the pilot should not have attempted to takeoff on that runway in those conditions. The airplane's most recent annual maintenance inspection was completed about 5 months (about 7.8 flight hours) before the accident. However, the engine had not been overhauled within the manufacturer's recommended overhaul time of 12 years. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a leak from the fuel selector and evidence that one of the magnetos had a preexisting grounding anomaly; both conditions should have been discovered during the annual maintenance inspection. Additionally, the grounded magneto should have been evident to the pilot during the engine run-up. However, these anomalous conditions would not have had a significant effect on the airplane's performance. Examination did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.