Accident Details
On August 20, 2017, about 1120 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registration N9431N, was substantially damaged during a forced landing after takeoff from Northeast Florida Regional Airport (SGJ) in St. Augustine, Florida. The flight instructor and student pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was privately owned, and the instructional flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which originated from SGJ about 1035.
Flight Purpose
According to the flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was to practice traffic pattern touch-and-go landings. The instructor stated that during the run-up, he told the student "not to forget to change the fuel tanks every 30 minutes."
Events Leading to Accident
The flight instructor reported that they were on their fourth takeoff and climbing through 500 ft when the engine started to "sputter." The flight instructor then took control of the airplane, declared an emergency, and landed in a marsh area. The student pilot stated that as they climbed through 500 ft, she switched the fuel tanks while climbing, and the engine "failed." She did not recall which fuel tank she switched to prior to the loss of engine power. She passed the controls to the instructor for the emergency landing.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed that the right wing and airframe were buckled. A cursory examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Due to the airplane resting in the marsh, the amount of fuel remaining in the wing tanks could not be determined. Prior to takeoff, the airplane had a total of 25 gallons of fuel on board. According to the Lycoming engine operator's manual, the IO-360C series engine fuel consumption is 12.5 gallons per hour at performance cruise. The airplane was flown for about an hour prior to the loss of engine power.