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WPR24LA051

2023-12-04 · Mesa, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport IWA

Current FAA registration · N9166J

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-180
Year of manufacture
1966 · 57 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19660415
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ACB028

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

A failure of the engine cowling right side latch pin and fasteners, which resulted in the partial separation of the engine cowling during flight.

Factual narrative

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. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Misc hardware-Fasteners-Not specified

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR24LA051.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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