Piper PA-28-180 accident near Mesa, Arizona, December 5, 2023
On December 5, 2023 at about 2:30 am local time, a 1966 Piper PA-28-180, registered N9166J, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Mesa, Arizona (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway 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
A failure of the engine cowling right side latch pin and fasteners, which resulted in the partial separation of the engine cowling during flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 5, 2023 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · Phoenix-Mesa Gateway · 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, built 1966 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9166J · registry record · serial 28-3226
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, while in cruise flight transitioning between airports, the right side of the engine upper cowling came unlatched and struck the windshield. The left side of the upper cowling remained attached, and the pilot landed without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the windshield. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right front fastener pin, which secures the front of the upper cowling adjacent to the air intake, had separated from the cowling structure. This likely allowed the forward right side of the upper cowling to separate from the lower cowling and move up into the airstream, resulting in the overload failure of the right side cowling latches.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › Fasteners › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,277 hours in all; 950 in this make and model; 207 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 1,129 as pilot in command; 968 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 7, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,899.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 16, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 5,706 hours total
- Operator: Red Rock Flying School LLC
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 1:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30L, 10,401 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KIWA, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KIWA 050253Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 15/04 A3013
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 15, 2024. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record of Examination Findings | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Illustrated Parts Catalog Exerpt | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR24LA051.