NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA16CA102
Registry · N2791P
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-18A
Year of manufacture
1955 · 60 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19620326
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A2CA74
Registrant of record
MCCARTHY AIR LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
Fuel contamination resulting in the loss of engine power, a forced landing on a highway, and subsequent right wing impact with highway signage.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, the airplane departed the runway and climbed to 3000 feet above ground level. She reported that while maneuvering, the airplane lost engine power. After several attempts to restart the engine, the pilot made a forced landing on a highway bridge. She reported that during the landing roll, the airplane's right wing struck a sign that was affixed to the bridge. According to the pilot, at the time of the accident, there were twenty gallons of fuel on board the airplane. She reported that the airframe and power plant mechanic removed approximately two cups of water from the fuel tanks after the accident in preparation for the airplane's recovery. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar and aileron. According to the pilot, the airplane departed the runway and climbed to 3000 feet above ground level. She reported that while maneuvering, the airplane lost engine power. After several attempts to restart the engine, the pilot made a forced landing on a highway bridge. She reported that during the landing roll, the airplane's right wing struck a sign that was affixed to the bridge. According to the pilot, at the time of the accident, there were twenty gallons of fuel on board the airplane. She reported that the airframe and power plant mechanic removed approximately two cups of water from the fuel tanks after the accident in preparation for the airplane's recovery. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar and aileron. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid condition - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- — Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Knowledge-Knowledge of equipment-Pilot
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Low temperature-Effect on equipment
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2015_GAA16CA102.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel contamination). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗