2018 Piper PA-28-140 Accident Near East Hartford, Connecticut (N1782J)

Accident Overview and Flight Details On June 16, 2018, at approximately 1315 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140 airplane, registration N1782J, was substantially damaged in an accident near East Hartford, Connecticut. The aircraft was operating as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. The flight originated from Hartford-Brainard Airport (HFD) in Hartford, Connecticut. According to the pilot, after takeoff, the engine began to sputter and lost partial power at an altitude of about 900 feet above ground level, preventing the aircraft from maintaining altitude. The pilot elected to make a forced landing on a runway at a nearby closed airport. During the descent, the pilot confirmed the mixture was full rich and the carburetor heat was off, and switched fuel tanks. When the engine did not respond, the pilot shut it off and used a forward slip and S-turns to align the aircraft with the runway. The airplane landed approximately 600 feet from the departure end of the runway, overran the end, and struck a fence. The pilot reported believing that a recently replaced fuel selector valve had failed, starving the engine of fuel. ## Damage and Technical Examination The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. An on-site examination found no fuel leaks, and fuel was present in each wing tank. Fuel drained from the tanks showed no evidence of contamination. An engine test run using fuel recovered from the wing tanks revealed no defects. The engine ran at full power with the right fuel selector, left fuel selector, and both fuel selectors with the fuel boost pump turned off. It also ran with both magnetos selected and with the left and right magnetos individually selected. No hesitation or loss of power was observed during these tests. ## Weather Conditions At 16:53, recorded weather conditions at HFD were: wind from 010° at 8 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 28°C, dew point 9°C, and altimeter setting 29.97 inches of mercury. Weather conditions around the time of the accident were plotted using the chart in Federal Aviation Administration Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 regarding carburetor ice prevention. The ambient temperature of 28°C and dew point of 9°C were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power.