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Accidents · NTSB WPR18LA173 · Final report

Piper PA 28-140 accident near Hartford, Connecticut, June 16, 2018

On June 16, 2018 at about 5:15 pm local time, a 1968 Piper PA 28-140, registered N1782J, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Hartford, Connecticut (Hartford-Brainard 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

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons because postaccident examination of the engine and fuel system did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, which led to the pilot’s forced landing and subsequent runway overshoot and collision with a fence.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
June 16, 2018 · about 5:15 pm local time · cases in 2018
Place
Hartford, Connecticut · Hartford-Brainard · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Piper PA 28-140, built 1968 · all PA 28-140s on the register
Registration
N1782J · no longer on the register · serial 28-24205
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot stated that after takeoff, the engine lost partial power, and the airplane would not maintain altitude. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a runway at a nearby closed airport. During the descent, the pilot verified the mixture was full rich and the carburetor heat was off, and he switched fuel tanks. The pilot said the engine did not respond, so he turned it off and executed a "forward slip" and S-turns to position the airplane onto the runway; however, the airplane landed about 600 ft from the departure end of the runway, overran the end of the runway, and struck a fence which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported he believed that the recently replaced fuel selector valve failed and starved the engine of fuel. Postaccident examination of the airplane and an engine test run did not reveal any anomalies with the engine, fuel system or the fuel selector valve that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

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

  1. Loss of engine power (partial) during emergency descent
  2. Landing area overshoot during landing defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 130 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 97 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
  • Last flight review: March 17, 2017
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

Passenger

  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 3,115 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 2018
  • Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 2,947 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: KHFD Hartford CT at 5:00 pm
  • Destination: KEWB New Bedford CT
  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
  • Observation at 5:00 pm, 2 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1
Passengers1

Photographs from the investigation 6 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them

Photo 1 –N1782J right side view, from the NTSB investigation of Piper PA 28-140 accident near Hartford, Connecticut, June 16, 2018Photo 1 –N1782J right side viewPhoto 2 -N1782J left side view, from the NTSB investigation of Piper PA 28-140 accident near Hartford, Connecticut, June 16, 2018Photo 2 -N1782J left side viewPhoto 3 – Top view of right wing, from the NTSB investigation of Piper PA 28-140 accident near Hartford, Connecticut, June 16, 2018Photo 3 – Top view of right wingPhoto 4 – Bottom view of right wing, from the NTSB investigation of Piper PA 28-140 accident near Hartford, Connecticut, June 16, 2018Photo 4 – Bottom view of right wingPhoto 5 – Top view of the left wing, from the NTSB investigation of Piper PA 28-140 accident near Hartford, Connecticut, June 16, 2018Photo 5 – Top view of the left wingPhoto 6 – Bottom view of the left wing, from the NTSB investigation of Piper PA 28-140 accident near Hartford, Connecticut, June 16, 2018Photo 6 – Bottom view of the left wing

The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

5 documents, released by the NTSB on March 24, 2021. 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.

#DocumentWhat it is
1 Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 PDF, 9 pages View Download
2 Carburetor Icing Probability Chart PDF, 3 pages View Download
3 Airworthiness PDF, 26 pages View Download
4 Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 PDF, 2 pages View Download
5 Photos PDF, 6 pages · our copy View Download

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
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Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR18LA173.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.