Piper PA-28-140 N7470R

Summary

On 24 January 2023 at about 21:42 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N7470R, operated by Advanced Aviation, was involved in an accident near Buford, Georgia, 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 January 2023 at 21:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Buford, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

34.0500, -84.0300

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N7470R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Advanced Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lawrenceville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA117

Nobody was injured.

Water contamination in the fuel system that was not observed during the preflight inspection, resulting in a total loss of engine power and forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot and his flight instructor were on a local flight and were practicing maneuvers before returning to their home airport. Shortly after the student switched fuel tanks, the engine unexpectedly lost all power. The flight instructor confirmed that the throttle was full forward and the mixture was full rich. Unable to reach an airport due to their altitude, the flight instructor performed a forced landing to a local interstate highway. During the landing, the airplane’s nose landing gear collapsed and the right wing was damaged. The pilots were not injured. Examination of the engine, including a test run, revealed no evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. During the examination of the carburetor, about 1 ounce of cloudy water was found in the carburetor bowl; no water was found in the gascolator. The flight instructor reported that no water was observed during the preflight inspection. Based on this information, it is likely that, as the student switched fuel tanks, previously undetected water from within the fuel system was introduced into the carburetor, resulting in the total loss of power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.