Piper PA-28-140 accident near Allentown, Pennsylvania, October 12, 2012
On October 12, 2012 at about 10:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N15037, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Allentown, Pennsylvania (Lehigh Valley International airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The operator's failure to perform magneto inspections per the manufacturer's recommendations and failure to comply with the engine manufacturer's recommended time interval for engine overhaul, which resulted in defects in the magnetos going undetected and the failure of the right magneto during initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 2012 · about 10:35 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Allentown, Pennsylvania · Lehigh Valley International · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N15037 · registry record · serial 28-7225560
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the initial climb, the engine lost partial power, and the flight instructor performed a forced landing into a cornfield. During a subsequent test-run of the engine, the engine would lose all power if only the right magneto was selected. Laboratory examination of the right magneto revealed that seven teeth from its drive gear were fractured and exhibited single-sided bending fatigue, consistent with applied force in one direction over a period of time. At the time of the accident, the engine had accumulated about 2,300 hours since overhaul, which had been completed about 7 years prior. The accident magnetos had not been replaced or serviced since they were installed during engine overhaul. The engine manufacturer recommended overhauling the engine every 2,000 hours or 12 years, which would have included replacing the magnetos with new or overhauled units. Additionally, a service bulletin issued by the magneto manufacturer recommended inspecting the magnetos every 500 hours; however, there was no evidence that an inspection was ever performed during the 2,300-hour life of the failed magneto.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Magneto/distributor › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the engine
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Magneto/distributor › Failure other cases naming the engine
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,103 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,000 as pilot in command; 740 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 5, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 262 hours in all; 108 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 153 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 5, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,946 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 22, 2012; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,942 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ace Pilot Training INC
The flight
- Departed from: ABE Allentown PA at 10:35 pm
- Destination: ABE Allentown PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 5,797 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from ABE, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on April 26, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 12-138 (11 Embedded Images) | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Interview Summaries | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Statement from FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Excerpt from Engine Logbook | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Weather Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Slick Service Bulletin (SB3-08A) | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Statement of Parties to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Photograph # 1: Main Wreckage (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Photograph # 2: Number Two Top Sparkplug (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Photograph # 3: Number Three Bottom Sparkplug (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | Photograph # 4: Number Three Top Sparkplug (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N15037 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N15037 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Warrior, Archer and Arrow 18,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 27,304 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lehigh Valley International · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,836 since 1982 · 234 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,195 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N15037 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA13LA025.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.