Piper PA28 N747PK

Summary

On 23 January 2023 at about 23:44 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N747PK, operated by Raleigh Flying Club LLC, was involved in an accident near Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, 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

23 January 2023 at 23:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Raleigh-Durham Intl (RDU)

Coordinates

35.8776, -78.7875

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N747PK

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Raleigh Flying Club LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Oxford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA23LA118

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's flooding the engine with fuel during a cold engine start, which resulted in an engine fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and his passenger prepared for a night flight in the flying club’s airplane to maintain the pilot’s currency. He tried to start the engine three times, priming the engine a total of 11 times, and “pumping” the throttle during one attempt, but it did not start. Concerned that he may have flooded the engine, he waited 5 minutes before attempting another start with full throttle and mixture at idle/cutoff. After this attempt, the passenger noted smoke and he realized that the engine was on fire. He told his passenger to egress and attempted to extinguish the fire with the onboard fire extinguisher; however, the fire substantially damaged the airplane’s the fuselage, engine mounts, and firewall. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Pilot’s Operating Handbook for the airplane suggested priming 1 to 3 times before engine start.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.