Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Ferron, Utah, February 24, 2002
On February 24, 2002 at about 8:11 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N47465, was destroyed in an accident near Ferron, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loss of engine power due to the ingestion of foreign object(s) into the meshing of the gears, causing a malfunction of the magneto idler gear and failure of maintenance personnel to detect the signs of imminent failure during a mandatory oil filter examination to be performed at the time of an oil change, annual inspection, or engine overhaul. Contributing factors were unsuitable terrain for the forced landing, high crosswind weather conditions, and a parked vehicle in the landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2002 · about 8:11 pm local time
- Place
- Ferron, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N47465 · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7880008
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Approximately 30 minutes into the flight, the engine began to "miss, backfire heavily and sputter." The number 1 cylinder temperature "shot off the gauge" with a red light warning light illuminated. The engine lost power and the airplane began to descend. The pilot made a forced landing on a highway. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a truck parked on the shoulder, shearing off its left wing. The airplane then overturned and skidded 300 feet to a halt. Engine disassembly revealed the magneto idler gear that drives the dual magneto was missing 8 teeth. Three of the teeth were displaced from the gear and exhibited signatures consistent with mechanical overload, while the remaining 5 had been ground off. The respective idler gear shaft bore(s) at the back of the crankcase and at the accessory housing were missing approximately 1/3 of their circumferential material. The fracture surface(s) exhibited signatures consistent with overload. The overload forces appeared to have been applied inboard, evidenced by the symmetrical displacement of the bore material at each end of the subject idler gear shaft.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 625 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 550 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 5, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,850 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 2001; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U69 Duchesne UT at 7:45 pm
- Destination: CDC Cedar City UT
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 8:10 pm from PUC, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.