Accident Details
On August 12, 2009, at approximately 1010 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-38-112, registration N86GW, executed a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Glendale Municipal Airport in Glendale, Arizona. The aircraft was operated by the student pilot, who also owned the airplane, under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The local instructional flight had departed Phoenix, Arizona, about 0930. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
The student pilot reported that after completing his seventh touch-and-go landing, while on the upwind leg at an altitude of 400 to 500 feet above ground level, the engine lost power. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. During the subsequent forced landing onto a dirt field, the outboard section of the left wing sustained damage. The student pilot was not injured, but the airplane incurred substantial damage to the left wing.
The student pilot stated that he had recently purchased the aircraft from the estate of the previous owner.
Examination Results
The airplane was recovered from the dirt parking lot for further examination. On August 19, 2009, inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted an examination of the aircraft at Air Transport, Inc., in Phoenix. The engine was started and operated smoothly for approximately five minutes. No preexisting mechanical anomalies were detected during the inspection of the recovered airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation.