What happened
On April 1, 2026, at approximately 15:41 EDT, a Piper PA-28-181, registration N494LA, was involved in an accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The aircraft was being operated by PIPER 3 LLC as part of a Part 91 instructional flight intended to prepare a student pilot for an upcoming check ride.
While approaching the traffic pattern for runway 3 operating at Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), air traffic control instructed the crew to maintain an altitude of at or above 1,800 feet MSL for traffic avoidance. After receiving clearance to descend, the student pilot reduced engine power. Upon reaching 1,400 feet MSL, the student pilot attempted to increase power to maintain altitude, but the engine failed to respond. The flight instructor noted the tachometer indicated 750 RPM.
In an effort to restore power, the instructor engaged the starter and searched for a landing site. The instructor subsequently took control of the aircraft and performed an emergency landing in a park. During the landing roll, the aircraft struck a tree, causing substantial damage to the wings, engine mount, and fuselage. The accident resulted in one serious injury to the student pilot and one minor injury to the flight instructor.
The investigation
An FAA inspector's examination of the aircraft found both wing fuel tanks contained approximately 20 gallons of 100LL fuel. At the time of inspection, the master switch, magnetos, and alternator were in the on position, the mixture and throttle levers were full forward, and the fuel selector was set to the left tank.
Data retrieved from the engine monitor's non-volatile memory showed that when engine power was reduced to 1,400 RPM, the fuel flow remained constant at 12.7 gallons per hour before a subsequent loss of RPM occurred.
Post-accident examination of the engine revealed:
- Manual propeller rotation resulted in 720 degrees of rotation, with suction and compression present in all cylinders.
- The crankshaft and camshaft continuity was intact, and magneto timing was correct.
- The oil suction screen was unobstructed, and the oil filter element showed no debris or contamination.
- The fuel manifold was clean with an undamaged diaphragm, and fuel injector nozzles were secure and unobstructed.
- The fuel pump was functional, and the fuel injector was undamaged.
- The fuel tanks were not breached, and fuel vents were unobstructed.
During testing of the fuel selector valve, external leakage was observed.