Piper PA-28-161 accident near Queen Creek, Arizona, October 21, 2002
On October 21, 2002 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N4332W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Queen Creek, Arizona. 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
a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 2002 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Queen Creek, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N4332W · no longer on the register · serial 28-8416036
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with a tree during a forced landing at an abandoned airstrip. A certified flight instructor and a student were performing a practice engine failure maneuver at an abandoned airstrip with a 1,500-foot-long by 50-foot-wide landing area. About 500 feet above ground level, the instructor terminated the maneuver and told the student to make a go-around and abort the simulated maneuver. The student manipulated the throttle control to the full power position, but left the carburetor heat control in the "on" position. The instructor said the engine did not respond to throttle input. The instructor assumed the controls and maneuvered to complete the landing on the abandoned airstrip below but inadvertently overshot the intended landing surface. While maneuvering the airplane back to the airstrip, the airplane's left wing collided with a tree. Post accident examination of the airframe systems, the engine, and a test run of the engine found no anomalies or failures that would have precluded the engine from operating normally.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 610 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 275 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 30, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 35 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 9 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,754.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 2002; 16.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Falcon Executive Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 10:00 pm
- Destination: FFZ Mesa AZ
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 16,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 pm from KIWA, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.