Accident Details
On July 19, 2018, about 0802 central daylight time, a Piper PA28A (registration N7080F) experienced a partial loss of engine power and subsequently made a forced landing near Shreveport Executive Airport (DTN), Shreveport, Louisiana. The airplane was substantially damaged. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured.
Flight History
The airplane was owned and piloted by a private individual. The flight was a post-maintenance check flight conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The annual inspection had been completed the previous day, July 18, 2018. The flight originated from DTN at about 0730.
According to the pilot, after takeoff, he stayed in the local traffic pattern and performed two touch-and-go landings. He then proceeded north of the airport and climbed through 2,500 feet; however, the airplane could not attain more than a 300-foot per minute rate of climb without losing airspeed, and he noticed a decrease in engine RPM. The oil pressure and oil temperature were in the normal operating range, the vacuum gauge indicated zero, and gyroscopic instruments began to drift and tumble. The pilot proceeded directly back to DTN, planning to land on runway 14. On final approach, the engine RPM decreased further, and the airplane's airspeed dropped. The engine did not respond to throttle inputs, and the pilot was forced to land the airplane on a river levy. The airplane bounced into the air, came back down, contacted a road, and came to rest against the perimeter fence of runway 14. Both wings sustained substantial damage.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination of the engine by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the output shaft of the vacuum pump was sheared. The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Accident Report Form 6120, and additional engine information was not available. The reason for the vacuum pump output shaft failure and partial loss of engine power was not determined.