Piper PA-18-150 N44RT

Summary

On 13 August 2013 at about 20:40 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N44RT was involved in an accident near Paxson, 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

13 August 2013 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Paxson, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.9567, -146.3847

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N44RT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tangle Lakes → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC13LA079

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power due to a loose throttle cable clamp.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that she was on a cross-country flight in a float-equipped airplane, and that, about 20 minutes into the flight, the engine rpm suddenly dropped to idle. She moved the throttle forward, and the engine momentarily responded, but it again dropped to idle power. She switched fuel tanks, but the engine still did not respond, so she initiated a forced landing to brush-covered tundra. During the forced landing, the airplane nosed over, which caused substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. Examination of the engine revealed that the clamp that secures the throttle cable was loose, which allowed the throttle cable housing to move inside the clamp. The engine was started without tightening the throttle cable clamp, and it operated normally through various power settings. Given the loose throttle cable clamp and the pilot's account of the accident sequence, it is likely that the throttle cable housing was free to move when the throttle lever moved, which limited the amount of throttle authority available to the pilot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.