Piper PA-32-300 N2843T

Summary

On 24 August 2021 at about 19:00 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N2843T was involved in an accident near Del Mar, California, 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

24 August 2021 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Del Mar, California, United States

Nearest airport

Montgomery-Gibbs Exec (MYF)

Coordinates

32.9725, -117.2503

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N2843T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Carlsbad

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA326

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in a forced landing on an interstate highway and subsequent collision with vehicles.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had just received an annual inspection, and the pilot and the flight instructor were flying it back to its home base. The pilot did not have a current medical certificate, and the flight instructor was on board to act as pilot in command. On departure in a slow climb passing about 1,800 ft mean sea level, the engine began to surge and sounded like “the throttle was cycling between open and closed.” The airplane began to lose altitude. The flight instructor declared an emergency and turned toward a racetrack. They flew a downwind for the racetrack but determined they could not safely land there. Therefore, they elected to land on an interstate highway. Spotting a gap between cars, the flight instructor made a forced landing on the interstate. During the landing sequence, the airplane struck several vehicles and came to rest angled toward the interstate median barrier. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available evidence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.