At about 10:00 EST, a Piper PA-28R-200 made a forced landing in a field shortly after takeoff from South Jersey Regional Airport. The pilot was unhurt. The pilot was planning to practice maneuvers for his upcoming commercial checkride when he was told the airplane was down for maintenance. He waited, and was then asked if he objected to making the first test flight of the rental airplane. He said the run-up was normal and he departed runway 26. At 50 feet, the engine began to backfire and lose power. At 350 feet the engine lost all power. A mechanic at the flight school that operated the airplane said the maintenance performed on the day of the accident consisted of reconnecting a manifold pressure line that had come loose. An apprentice performed the maintenance and an A&P approved the work. No entry was made in the engine logbook. An inspector found the #3 cylinder intake manifold tube disconnected from the engine, but the bolts and washers that connected it to the cylinder were not found.
Feb. 16, Mount Holly, N.J. / Piper Arrow
At about 10:00 EST, a Piper PA-28R-200 made a forced landing in a field shortly after takeoff from South Jersey Regional Airport. The pilot was unhurt. The pilot was planning to practice maneuvers for his upcoming commercial checkride when he was told the airplane was down for maintenance. He waited, and was then asked if he objected to making the first test flight of the rental airplane. He said the run-up was normal and he departed runway 26. At 50 feet, the engine began to backfire and lose power. At 350 feet the engine lost all power. A mechanic at the flight school that operated the airplane said the maintenance performed on the day of the accident consisted of reconnecting a manifold...
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper PA-28R-200 made a forced landing shortly after takeoff due to engine power loss during its first flight post-maintenance; the pilot was unhurt.
- Maintenance performed before the flight, by an apprentice and approved by an A&P, involved reconnecting a manifold pressure line but was not logged.
- The engine failure occurred shortly after takeoff, with backfiring and power loss beginning at 50 feet and total power loss at 350 feet.
- An inspection found the #3 cylinder intake manifold tube disconnected from the engine, with its connecting bolts and washers missing, strongly suggesting improper maintenance was the cause.
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