Piper PA-28-140 N7598R

Summary

On 15 April 2015 at about 19:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N7598R, operated by Hotung Lisa M, was involved in an accident near Lancaster, New York, United States. One person was 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

15 April 2015 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lancaster, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Buffalo-Lancaster Rgnl (BQR)

Coordinates

42.9211, -78.5942

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N7598R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Hotung Lisa M

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lancaster → Lancaster

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA187

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power during takeoff for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examination of the engine or testing of the carburetor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that she noted no discrepancies during the preflight inspection, engine run-up, or start of the takeoff; however, when the airplane was about 200 ft above the end of the runway, the engine "coughed," and the airplane began losing altitude. The engine power was restored briefly, but the engine subsequently quit. The pilot landed the airplane straight ahead and touched down in an abandoned field with high grass. The nose landing gear impacted rising terrain, which resulted in the gear collapsing. Postaccident examination of the carburetor revealed that the bowl assembly could be moved by hand pressure in relation to the throttle body assembly. Although the carburetor bowl was loose and such a condition is the subject of a service bulletin, the pilot could not have detected this condition during her preflight inspection, and it likely did not exist when the engine was last inspected nearly 10 months before the accident. During dynamic testing of the carburetor with down clamping force applied on its top portion, a slightly richer-than-specified fuel flow was noted. However, the color of the spark plugs was consistent with a lean-mixture condition. Thus, it is unlikely that the carburetor's condition contributed to the loss of engine power. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.