Piper PA28 N838JH

Summary

On 19 April 2019 at about 21:30 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N838JH, operated by Aten Inc, was involved in an accident near Dwight, Illinois, United States. 3 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

19 April 2019 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Dwight, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Dwight Airport (DTG)

Coordinates

41.1328, -88.4383

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N838JH

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Operator

Aten Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dupage → St Louis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA126

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to a restriction in fuel flow for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was in cruise flight in the single-engine airplane when the engine started to run rough. He applied carburetor heat, but the engine continued to run rough. He noticed that the fuel pressure gauge indicated 0, so he turned on the electric fuel boost pump, which did not restore power. He then switched fuel tanks, which momentarily restored engine power. The pilot decided to divert to a nearby airport and continued to switch between fuel tanks to obtain short bursts of engine power. During landing, the airplane departed the runway surface and the nose landing gear collapsed. Examination of the fuel system found available fuel in the tanks and only a small amount of debris in the gascolator. Both the engine-driven and electric fuel boost pumps were removed from the airplane. Hand testing of the engine-driven pump found suction and pressure at the inlet and outlet ports. Testing of the electric boost pump revealed that liquid would not flow when activated. Despite the failure of the electric boost pump, it was not indicated for use in cruise flight, and its failure should not have resulted in a loss of fuel flow. It is possible that an unidentified fuel restriction prevented fuel from getting to the engine-driven fuel pump; however, the reason for or source of the fuel restriction could not be determined during postaccident examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.