Piper PA-28-160 accident near Monroe, Washington, May 1, 1998
On May 1, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-160, registered N5157W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monroe, Washington (Firstair Field). 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
Fuel starvation due to the flight instructor's improper in-flight decision to simulate an engine failure by pulling the mixture control toward the lean position until the engine shut down, and his failure to return the mixture to the rich position until after the aircraft had reached a low altitude and the propeller had stopped turning. Factors include the rough/uneven terrain within the construction area in which the aircraft was landed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Monroe, Washington · Firstair Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-160 · all PA-28-160s on the register
- Registration
- N5157W · no longer on the register · serial 28-188
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After the instructor simulated an engine failure by pulling out the mixture control until the engine shut down, the student attempted to maneuver for a landing at a paved private airstrip. Just after turning a close-in final, with the mixture still pulled out almost to the full-lean position, the student raised the aircraft's nose, and the propeller stopped turning. The instructor then returned the mixture control to the full rich position and instructed the student to engage the starter. After two unsuccessful attempts to get the engine to start, the student landed the aircraft in an area where the terrain had been torn up by construction workers. Just after touchdown, the aircraft impacted rough/uneven terrain and sustained substantial damage.
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: 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: 653 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 539 as pilot in command; 327 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,253 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 22, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S43 Snohomish WA at 9:30 pm
- Destination: O9S Monroe WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,092 ft by 34 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.