Piper PA 24-250 N6595P

Summary

On 5 December 2013 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA 24-250 registered N6595P, operated by McBride Mark R, was involved in an accident near Fair Oaks, California, 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

5 December 2013 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fair Oaks, California, United States

Coordinates

39.0833, -121.4333

Aircraft

Piper PA 24-250

Registration

N6595P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1960

Engines

1

Operator

McBride Mark R

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salinas → Auburn

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA061

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examinations of the airplane and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. 

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, after departure on a personal cross-country flight that he had made numerous times, he climbed the airplane to 6,500 feet mean sea level (msl) and then requested flight following services. As he neared the destination airport, he requested and received a descent to 3,500 feet msl from air traffic control (ATC). Upon reaching 3,500 feet msl, he pushed the carburetor heat off, and the engine quit. He reapplied the carburetor heat, but the engine did not restart. He advised ATC of the situation, and the controller gave him a heading to the closest airport. The pilot's continued attempts to restart the engine failed, and, when he realized the airplane was not going to be able to reach the airport, he executed a forced landing to a soccer field, and the airplane collided with a car, trees, and terrain. Examinations of the airplane and engine did not reveal evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Fuel was found on board the airplane. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the atmospheric conditions were not conducive to the accumulation of carburetor ice at the time of the accident. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.