Piper PA28 N207AB

Summary

On 5 October 2024 at about 18:50 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N207AB was involved in an accident near Merritt Island, Florida, 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

5 October 2024 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Merritt Island, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Merritt Island (COI)

Coordinates

28.3423, -80.6882

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N207AB

Category

Airplane

Year built

1989

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Flagler

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA035

Nobody was injured.

A worn fuel selector valve, which resulted in a restriction of fuel flow to the engine and a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A pilot and safety pilot had planned a cross-country flight to build flight time. During the initial climb after takeoff, about 200 ft above ground level, the engine started to run rough. The pilot engaged the starter in an attempt to restart the engine and turned back to the airport. The engine briefly regained power before it lost total power as they turned onto the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern, so they decided to land downwind on the departure runway. The airplane was fast and touched down long on the runway. Both the pilot and passenger applied heavy braking. The airplane subsequently departed the right side of the runway and impacted terrain. The nose landing gear separated, resulting in substantial damage to the engine mounts. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the fuel selector valve was worn, and that when the fuel selector was placed in the left tank detent, the indicator handle could be manipulated past the detent such that fuel flow from that tank to the engine was restricted. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airframe or engine were otherwise identified. Based on this information, it is likely that the condition of the fuel selector valve resulted in a restriction of fuel flow to the engine and the subsequent total loss of engine power during initial climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.