Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Slaughters, Kentucky, March 2, 2023
On March 2, 2023 at about 7:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N9420N, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Slaughters, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Maintenance personnel’s failure to secure the fuel strainer bowl with safety wire, which resulted in the fuel strainer bowl leaking and starving the engine of fuel. Also causal was the obstruction of two fuel injector nozzles.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 2023 · about 7:05 pm local time
- Place
- Slaughters, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N9420N · registry record · serial 28R-35132
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot purchased an airplane that had not flown in 22 years and that had an extensive annual inspection completed the day before the accident flight. On the day of the accident, the pilot flew the airplane on a short flight to an airport and topped off the fuel tanks. About 5 minutes after he departed on the second leg, the engine started to lose power so he performed an off-airport forced landing. The airplane landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that when electrical power was applied to the electric fuel pump, fuel leaked from the fuel strainer bowl. Further examination of the fuel strainer bowl revealed that the thumb wheel, which secured the fuel strainer bowl to the firewall, was loose and not secured with safety wire. Examination of the fuel system forward of the fuel strainer bowl revealed no fuel was present up to the fuel nozzles. Once the fuel strainer bowl was secured and the thumb wheel tightened, fuel flowed to the fuel nozzles and no leaks were noted. Additionally, one of the fuel injector nozzles was completely obstructed and another was partially obstructed. Since the fuel bowl was not safety wired, it likely loosened from vibration after the annual inspection which resulted in fuel leaking from the fuel strainer bowl. The fuel leak likely starved the engine of adequate fuel to operate normally, and contributed to the partial loss of engine power. The obstructed fuel injector nozzles also likely negatively impacted the engine’s performance during the flight.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel filter › strainer › Incorrect service/maintenance
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,700 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,550 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 1,100 hours total
- Operator: Space Cadets INC
The flight
- Departed from: 210 Madisonville KY at 7:40 pm
- Destination: SGF Springfield MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Observation at 1:30 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA23LA144.