Piper PA-28-181 N456Y accident near West Jordan, Utah

Probable cause

Loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the mechanic’s failure to properly secure the fuel system gascolator strainer bowl.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor was conducting a local flight in preparation for the student pilot’s private pilot check ride. The preflight was completed and both wing fuel tanks were filled. The engine was started, and no anomalies were noted during the startup, taxi or runup. During takeoff, the ground roll and departure were normal until the airplane reached about 300 ft above ground level (agl) when the engine started to lose power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and added full rich mixture and ensured that the throttle lever was at full power. Momentarily, there was increase in rpm before the engine lost all power. He executed a forced landing that caused the landing gear to collapse and damaged the right wing, which resulted in the fuel tank leaking onsite.

The postaccident examination revealed that the gascolator bowl bail wire attachment end was not engaged in the outboard attachment hole on the gascolator housing and was resting on the gascolator bracket forward of the hole. There was no observable impact damage to the gascolator or the surrounding area. The gascolator bowl was not sealed to the gascolator housing and was twisted inboard where the bowl’s sump was pointing forward, instead of its normal position pointing outboard towards the cowling sump access hole. The interior surfaces of both upper and lower cowling were covered in a light residue of oil with the exception of the cowling and firewall area beneath the gascolator. The lower engine cowling was removed. The bail wire was not safety wired in place, and the strainer bowl retaining nut was safety wired to the gascolator sump fitting. The strainer bowl retaining nut was not properly positioned on the bottom of the bowl. The gascolator bowl was removed and the seal and screen were undamaged and clear of contamination. The gascolator bowl did not contain any fuel. The gascolator bail wire was not properly attached to the housing and the gascolator bowl likely became unsealed, interrupting the fuel supply to the engine and causing the loss of engine power.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR23LA203 for the full record.