Piper PA 28-181 N9681K

Summary

On 13 July 2014 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper PA 28-181 registered N9681K, operated by Wisconsin FOX River Flyers Inc, was involved in an accident near Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

13 July 2014 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Waukesha County (UES)

Coordinates

43.0411, -88.2369

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-181

Registration

N9681K

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Wisconsin FOX River Flyers Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Watertown → Waukesha

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA443

2 people had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because no anomalies were identified during postaccident examination.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had entered the airport traffic pattern for landing. When the airplane was abeam the approach end of the runway, he reduced power, applied carburetor heat, and confirmed that the auxiliary fuel pump was on. When the airplane was on the base leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot attempted to increase engine power, but the engine did not respond; he stated that advancing the throttle to full did not result in an increase in power. He attempted moving the engine and carburetor heat controls to no avail. While attempting the remedial action, he turned toward the runway and declared an emergency. The airplane impacted trees short of the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane confirmed that fuel was present. The engine was rotated and compression was verified on all cylinders, and the magnetos showed spark that was confirmed at all of the spark plug leads. No mechanical reason for the loss of engine power was discovered. At the time of the accident, the temperature and dew point were 24 degrees C and 17 degrees C, respectively. According to a carburetor icing probability chart, the temperature and dew point were in a range of susceptibility for moderate icing at cruise power settings and serious icing at descent power settings. Because the pilot reported using carburetor heat during the landing approach, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.