Piper PA 24 N7386P

Summary

On 12 April 2018 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA 24 registered N7386P was involved in an accident near New Braunfels, Texas, 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

12 April 2018 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

New Braunfels, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

New Braunfels Regional Airport (KBAZ)

Coordinates

29.7022, -98.0272

Aircraft

Piper PA 24

Registration

N7386P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1961

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New Braunfels → New Braunfels

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA138

2 people had minor injuries.

A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was preparing for his commercial checkride with a flight instructor onboard. They had completed several touch-and-go landings when the engine experienced a partial loss of power on the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern. Attempts to restore power were unsuccessful, and the pilots selected a field for a forced landing. The airplane came to a stop after impacting a fence. A postaccident examination found that fuel was available in both wing tanks. An initial test of the fuel system found that fuel would not flow from the right wing fuel tank; however, the condition could not be replicated during a subsequent test. A test run of the engine revealed no anomalies. The fuel line pickup screen in the right wing fuel tank was clear and no foreign material was observed in the fuel tank. The carburetor icing probability chart indicated that the airplane was operating in an area associated with a serious risk of carburetor ice accumulation at glide power settings. Despite the risk of carburetor icing, the airplane had completed several takeoffs and landings without problems and the pilots stated that they applied carburetor heat following the loss of power; therefore, it is unlikely that the loss of power was the result of carburetor ice accumulation. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available information.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.