ERA21LA059 · Piper PA38 112

The purpose of the instructional flight was to fly the traffic pattern with the student pilot. Prior to the flight, the flight instructor and student pilot performed a preflight inspection with no anomalies noted. After performing several takeoffs and landings in the traffic pattern, the flight instructor switched from the left fuel tank to the right tank. They performed a go-around procedure and, on the upwind leg of the traffic pattern, noticed a strong smell of something “being burnt.” During the turn to the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern, the flight instructor noticed a “lack of engine power.” He assumed control of the airplane from the student pilot, verified that the fuel mixture control was in the full-rich position, and moved the throttle lever with no response from the engine. He then declared an emergency, turned back toward the airport, and unsuccessfully attempted to restart the engine multiple times during the descent. The airplane struck an airport perimeter fence, nosed over, and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, wings and empennage. The fuel tanks were breached, the gascolator was impact separated, and fuel was noted at the accident site. The source of the burning odor could not be determined. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies with the fuel tanks, fuel caps, or seals. Examination of the engine revealed water contamination in the fuel system at the gascolator, electric fuel pump, engine-driven fuel pump, and carburetor. It is likely that since the fuel cap seals and tanks did not exhibit any anomalies, the water contamination came from another source, which ultimately resulted in a total loss of engine power.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset