Piper PA-28-140 accident near Wilgrove, North Carolina, August 17, 2001
On August 17, 2001 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N1453T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wilgrove, North Carolina (Wilgrove Airpark airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of maintenance personal to properly reconnect the throttle-cable-to carburetor attachment, resulting in a throttle cable disconnection while in the landing pattern, and collision with trees. A factor in the accident was the failure of the pilot to obtain maintenance assistance once unfamiliar throttle action was detected.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2001 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wilgrove, North Carolina · Wilgrove Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N1453T · no longer on the register · serial 28-7225521
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the aircraft underwent an annual inspection on August 2, 2001. One of the tasks performed was the removal and replacement of the oil pump impellers, and the throttle linkage must be disconnected to expedite the job. Nine-tenths of a flight hour and seven takeoffs after returning the aircraft to service, the throttle would not respond to the pilot's input while in the landing pattern. The pilot executed a partial power go-around, and the aircraft crashed into trees at the end of the runway. Wreckage examination revealed the throttle cable disconnected at the carburetor, and no drilled bolt, castellated nut or locking cotter pin that forms the throttle cable-to-carburetor connection was found. The pilot mentioned that since the annual inspection, he detected a slight detent in the throttle motion at about 1,100 rpm engine speed, but failed to mention it to the mechanic. The FAA certified IA who signed off the work stated he was 99.9 per cent certain the attaching hardware was correctly installed.
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: 134 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 14, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,946 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 2, 2001; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8A6 Wilgrove NC at 4:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,700 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from CLT, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.