Piper PA-28-180 accident near Poughkeepsie, New York, January 18, 2003
On January 18, 2003 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N5136L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Poughkeepsie, New York (Dutches County airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to maintain an adequate amount of engine power while maneuvering to land, which produced delayed engine response times. A facture in the accident was the cold day.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2003 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Poughkeepsie, New York · Dutches County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5136L · registry record · serial 28-4419
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
With the outside air temperature approximately 12 degrees Fahrenheit and the dew point approximately -8 degrees Fahrenheit, the pilot departed for closed traffic. He turned final about 0.5 mile from the runway, and was a "little" higher than anticipated." He reduced throttle, and the airplane intercepted the glide path about 350 feet from the end of the runway. He then added throttle to maintain his descent angle, but engine power did not increase. He waited a couple of seconds, and added more throttle. Still power did not increase, so he added a "substantial" amount of throttle, and started to flare the airplane. The engine responded, but before the pilot could arrest the descent rate, the airplane touched down short of the runway. Examination of the engine and carburetor revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions. Research has shown that when engine power is reduced to idle, the engine cools rapidly, and vaporization of fuel is less complete, which can slow engine response times, or cause a complete loss of engine power. Sudden throttle movements can aggravate this situation, and the pilot should try to keep the engine warm during glides by frequently opening the throttle.
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
- Flight time: 264 hours in all; 144 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 178 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 11, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,087.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 2002; 16.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: POU Poughkeepsie NY at 5:05 pm
- Destination: POU
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point -8°F (-22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 5:10 pm from POU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.