Piper PA-28 · NTSB accident record

Rough at 200 FeetERA25LA035

The engine restarts, then quits for good in the turn back

Date
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Time
~2:50 PM EDT
Weather
VMC · scattered 4,000 ft · 7 SM · wind 090 at 5 kt · 91°F
Location
Merritt Island (KCOI), FL — Runway 11
Age
26
Hours in type (Piper PA-28)
128 hrs
Hours, last 90 days
103 hrs
Today's flight
KTIXMerritt Island
KTIXTime-building, local
Aircraft
Model
Piper PA-28-161
Engine
Lycoming O-320, 150 hp, carbureted
Recent work
Mags, plugs, fuel pump, carburetor (Sep 30)
The flight

Saturday afternoon at Merritt Island, Florida. You and a pilot-rated safety pilot launch in a PA-28 to build time. Hot day — 91°F, light easterly wind, seven miles under scattered clouds.

Recent history

About a week earlier the airplane was written up for engine roughness. Maintenance replaced both magnetos, two bottom spark plugs, the fuel pump, and the carburetor, then returned it to service. An instructor flew it since and reported nothing wrong.

Initial climb

You take runway 11. About 200 feet above the ground, the engine begins to run rough and the RPM drops.

By the numbers
687
fuel-starvation accidents
46
a year
87%
were survivable
118
lives lost in them
Explore more accidents at ClearQuery
NTSB accidents, 2011–2025
The decision

The engine is rough at 200 feet on the initial climb. What do you do?