Accident Details
On September 3, 2022, at approximately 1409 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, registration N5666U, sustained substantial damage in an accident near Wadsworth Municipal Airport (3G3) in Wadsworth, Ohio. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported arriving at Medina Municipal Airport (1G5) in Medina, Ohio, where she added 20 gallons of aviation gasoline, bringing the total fuel quantity to 36 gallons. She performed a preflight inspection and engine run-up with the fuel selector on the left main tank, noting no anomalies. She then switched the fuel selector to the right main tank and departed around 1310. The pilot completed two full-stop landings at 1G5, performed some air work locally, and then switched the fuel selector back to the left main tank before flying to 3G3, a 10-minute flight.
The pilot intended to perform a touch-and-go landing at 3G3 and return to 1G5. After landing on runway 20 (3,530 ft long), the engine lost total power during the initial climb when the airplane was about 50 ft above ground level. As the airplane slowed, the pilot pushed the nose over to regain speed. The airplane then landed hard, coming to rest on grass off the right edge of the runway. The left main landing gear separated, and both wings were damaged during the hard landing.
Witness and Postaccident Examination
Airport security video showed the airplane in a nose-up attitude as it descended and impacted the right side of the runway with about one-third of the runway remaining. A witness, a flight instructor who worked at the airport, responded to the site. He noted the rotating beacon was still operating and shut down the airplane as a safety precaution. He observed that the throttle and mixture controls were fully forward and that the carburetor heat was off. He moved the fuel selector to the off position but could not recall its prior position.
A postaccident engine examination revealed about 2 to 4 gallons of fuel in the right tank and 20 gallons in the left tank. Hand rotation of the propeller confirmed continuity to the rear accessory section. No anomalies were found with the spark plugs, oil filter, or fuel filter. Fuel was present in the carburetor bowl, and the air filter was dirty. A mechanic who later examined the airplane found no preimpact anomalies. He attempted to start the engine with a battery jumper (the battery was dead); the crankshaft turned and the spark plugs produced spark, but the engine did not start after multiple attempts. The mechanic speculated that a new, fully charged battery or carburetor adjustment might be needed since the carburetor had been removed, examined, and reinstalled.
Review of an FAA carburetor icing chart indicated the potential for serious icing at glide power for the reported temperature and dew point near the time of the accident.