Piper PA28 incident near San Carlos, California, April 29, 2016
On April 29, 2016 at about 10:35 pm local time, a 1976 Piper PA28, registered N200KR, was involved in an incident during initial climb near San Carlos, California (San Carlos airport). 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
The failure of maintenance personnel to properly install and secure the input swivel boot on the swivel joint, which resulted in excessive vibration that led to fatigue cracks and failure of the throttle cable.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 2016 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- San Carlos, California · San Carlos · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 200, built 1976 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N200KR · registry record · serial 28R-7635176
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that he and the pilot receiving instruction departed normally and climbed to an altitude of 1,000 ft above ground level. The pilot completed the after-takeoff checklist and attempted to reduce engine power to a climb power setting; however, the engine was unresponsive to throttle inputs. The pilots returned to the airport, pulled the mixture control to the idle cut-off position when the airplane was over the runway threshold, and landed uneventfully. Examination of the throttle control revealed that the cable had broken. Metallurgical examination showed that the cable was fractured due to fatigue near the input end. Fatigue regions on the wires covered about half the cross-section, consistent with a relatively high stress load on the cable. An elastomeric boot covers the swivel joints at each end of the cable assembly; however, examination revealed that the boot at the input end swivel joint had displaced onto the swivel tube. The boot at the input end lacked the same deformation as the boot at the output end, which indicated that the input end boot had not been installed on the swivel joint for some time before the event. As this boot is used to dampen vibrational loads on the cable assembly, it is likely that the cable fractured from fatigue cracks that initiated and grew due to the excessive vibrations that resulted from the missing boot on the swivel joint.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during initial climb defining event
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during emergency descent
- Engine shutdown during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Not installed/available
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,606 hours in all; 280 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 4,209 as pilot in command; 3,390 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 5, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 656 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 386 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 12, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,238.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 27, 2016; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 1,819 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SQL San Carlos CA at 10:35 pm
- Destination: C83 Byron CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,600 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 16,000 ft; a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from SQL, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 26, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 16-080 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.