Accident Details
On March 3, 2023, at about 1230 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, registration N9375J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Calaveras County Airport in San Andreas, California. The pilot and co-pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported that the airplane had recently undergone extensive maintenance. Earlier that day, he and the co-pilot departed from their home airport in Lodi, California. That flight was the first after maintenance, and they performed a series of maneuvers en route. After landing at San Andreas, they took a 20- to 25-minute break and planned to return to Lodi.
The pilot conducted a preflight inspection and engine runup, noting no anomalies. He configured the airplane for a soft-field takeoff with flaps extended to 25°. The initial departure was normal, but when reaching about 300 ft above ground level, the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot attempted to return to the runway, but the airplane could not maintain altitude. He performed an off-airport landing, resulting in a hard impact with terrain.
Maintenance History
Maintenance records provided showed that the airplane’s carburetor had been replaced with a new factory-remanufactured unit two days before the accident.
Examination Findings
Federal Aviation Administration inspectors conducted on-scene and follow-up examinations. Control continuity was established from the cockpit to the flight control surfaces. The cockpit was largely intact with minimal damage. The engine firewall showed crush deformation. The magneto switch was set to "both." The master switch and fuel selector were turned off after pilot and passenger extrication.
Fuel quantity in the left wing was about four gallons, but the exact amount could not be determined due to the airplane’s tilted position at the accident site. The fuel quantity in the right wing could not be determined. A sample of fluid from the wings was uncontaminated blue liquid consistent in odor and coloration with 100LL AVGAS.
The engine was intact, though its mount was deformed. The propeller remained attached, with one blade showing minor deformity near the tip and another bent consistent with ground impact. There was no evidence of propeller rotation upon impact, with a single half-arc mark visible where the airplane came to rest.
An external visual examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact catastrophic mechanical malfunction or fire. The top spark plugs were removed; no mechanical damage was noted, and the electrodes and posts exhibited a light ash gray coloration, corresponding to normal operation per the Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug AV-27 Chart.
The ignition harnesses were attached from both magnetos to their respective spark plugs. The magnetos were found securely clamped and, when removed and rotated by hand, produced spark at each lead. The crankshaft was rotated by hand via the propeller; it was free and easy to rotate in both directions. Thumb compression was observed in proper order on all four cylinders, and normal lift action was observed at each rocker assembly. Clean, uncontaminated oil was observed at all four rocker box areas. Mechanical continuity was established throughout the rotating group, valvetrain, and accessory sections during hand rotation.
Fuel System Examination
The fuel line from the engine-driven fuel pump to the inlet side of the carburetor was removed and revealed no signs of fuel. The carburetor float bowl drain plug was removed and revealed no fuel. It could not be determined if the fuel had evaporated after recovery. No anomalies were found with the carburetor.
Carburetor Icing Considerations
The carburetor icing probability chart from FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, Carburetor Icing Prevention, shows that at the temperature and dew point reported at the time of the accident, the conditions were bordering between the probability of serious icing at glide power and at cruise power.