On March 7, 1991, a Piper PA-24-250 (registration N6699P) operated by Rick W. Crow was involved in an aviation accident near Hagerstown, MD. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The fracture of the throttle cable, which resulted in a loss of engine power and the subsequent crash short of the runway. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot lost engine power due to a fractured throttle cable while in the traffic pattern, resulting in a crash short of the runway.
What happened
The pilot reported that the throttle cable fractured during flight, causing the engine power to reduce to idle. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was operating within the traffic pattern. Due to the loss of thrust, the pilot was unable to glide the aircraft back to the runway. The airplane subsequently crashed approximately 100 feet short of the runway threshold.
The investigation
A metallurgical examination was conducted on the failed component to determine the nature of the failure. The analysis revealed that the fracture surfaces of the strand showed evidence of cut marks, indicating the mechanism by which the cable failed.
Probable cause
The fracture of the throttle cable, which resulted in a loss of engine power and the subsequent crash short of the runway.
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