Piper PA-32-260 N7081H accident near Block Island, Rhode Island

Probable cause

Maintenance personnel’s failure to ensure that the throttle cable was properly secured to the carburetor, which resulted an inflight separation of the throttle cable and the pilots’ inability to control the engine.

NTSB analysis

The pilots reported that they were unable to change engine power via the throttle while attempting to land, which resulted in an off-airport landing. During the landing the airplane’s left wing was substantially damaged. One of the pilots described that this was the second flight of the airplane after it had undergone extensive maintenance, which included installing a newly overhauled engine and an annual inspection.

Postaccident examination of the engine found the hardware used to connect the throttle cable to the carburetor was missing. A review of maintenance records revealed that the throttle control was rigged during the annual inspection. The mechanic who signed off the annual inspection said that he and several other mechanics had conducted extensive maintenance on the airplane, and they had most likely forgotten to install the cotter pin that would have secured the throttle cable to the carburetor. Given this information, it is likely that the throttle cable detached from the carburetor during the flight, which resulted in the the pilots being unable to control engine power, and the subsequent off airport landing.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA26LA151 for the full record.