Piper PA 32-300 N112DE accident near Rushville, Indiana

Probable cause

The pilot’s inability to properly control engine power because of an improperly installed throttle control arm, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and led to a forced landing.

NTSB analysis

The airline transport pilot and two passengers were on a cross-country flight. While the airplane was descending, the pilot attempted to level off, but the engine did not respond to his throttle input. The pilot decided to divert and began troubleshooting the engine. The pilot could decrease engine power with throttle movement but could not restore engine power with throttle movement. Subsequently, the throttle would not advance past three-fourths of the distance to full throttle application, and the airplane was unable to maintain its altitude. Because the airplane would be unable to reach a nearby airfield, the pilot performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane's firewall was substantially damaged.

Postaccident examination of the airplane found that the throttle control arm was improperly fastened, resulting in throttle arm slippage, which precluded proper control of the engine. It could not be determined if the throttle arm was improperly fastened during the airplane's last annual inspection, which occurred about 3.5 months before the accident. The airplane had accumulated 12 hours of flight time since the inspection.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN17LA271 for the full record.