Piper PA28 accident near Puyallup, Washington, October 18, 2020
On October 18, 2020, a 1966 Piper PA28, registered N4673R, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern crosswind) near Puyallup, Washington (Pierce County/Thun Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power as a result of carburetor icing and the flight instructors failure to use carburetor heat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2020
- Place
- Puyallup, Washington · Pierce County/Thun Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 140, built 1966 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N4673R · registry record · serial 28-21430
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that they conducted two uneventful touch-and-go landings. After the second touch-and-go, they were climbing with full power through about 500 ft when the engine sputtered momentarily. The instructor took over the flight controls and continued a left crosswind when the engine power reduced to idle. The instructor turned the airplane back toward the airport and ensured the fuel selector was on, throttle and mixture were full forward, and magnetos on both. The student pilot pressed the starter to see if that would help, but the engine continued at idle, and the airplane continued to descend. Unable to make it to the airport, the instructor made an off-airport landing during which the airplane touched down momentarily and bounced back into ground effect. It impacted a few trees before coming to a stop in a parking lot. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. A postaccident examination and run of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The temperature and dewpoint conditions were plotted and fell on the line between serious icing at cruise power and serious icing at glide power. The instructor reported that he did not use carburetor heat once the engine started to sputter.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during approach (VFR pattern crosswind)
- Off-field or emergency landing during approach (VFR pattern crosswind)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Fuel related during approach (VFR pattern crosswind) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not used/operated
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 10 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 437 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 340 as pilot in command; 135 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 21, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,616 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 14, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3B8 Spanaway WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,651 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from PLU, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on June 16, 2022. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Email - Engine Examination Observations | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Engine Run Observations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Video of Engine Run | MOV file | Download |
| 5 | Record of Email - Regarding Carburetor Heat | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Carburetor Icing Chart | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | On Scene Photos - Courtesy of the FAA | PDF, 2 pages | 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.