14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, July 31, 2014 in Helena, AL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 01/14/2015
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32-300, registration: N9103K
Injuries: 4 Serious.
NTSB investigators may have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that he had the airplane completely fueled before departing on a cross-country flight. The departure was uneventful, and the airplane was cruising about 2,500 ft above ground level and was about 2 hours into the planned 3 hour 30 minute flight when the pilot noted that the engine power did not seem correct despite all of the gauges indicating normal. He chose to divert to a nearby airport; however, the engine began to lose power at that point, and it then lost all power as the airplane was descending toward the airport. The airplane subsequently impacted trees about 1 mile south of the airport, and a postcrash fire consumed the wreckage. A witness near the accident site reported observing the engine sputtering and black smoke emanating from the right side of the airplane as it flew overhead. Examination of the engine revealed that one propeller blade was bent aft and exhibited chordwise scratches. The other blade exhibited an outward bend at the tip. The top spark plugs were removed; all of their electrodes were intact and gray or oil-soaked in color, except for the No. 6 spark plug, which exhibited dark soot. Further examination of the No. 6 cylinder did not reveal any other anomalies. The valve covers were removed, and oil was noted throughout the engine. When the propeller was rotated by hand, camshaft, crankshaft, and valve train continuity were confirmed to the rear accessory section, and thumb compression was attained on all cylinders. The magnetos, engine-driven fuel pump, vacuum pump, and fuel injector exhibited thermal damage from the postcrash fire and could not be tested. The postcrash fire damage precluded a determination of the cause of the loss of engine power.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined due to postcrash fire damage.
On July 31, 2014, about 1352 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300, N9103K, operated by a private individual, was destroyed during a forced landing, following a total loss of engine power during cruise flight near Helena, Alabama. The private pilot and three passengers were seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the planned flight to Dickson Municipal Airport (M02), Dickson, Tennessee. The flight originated from Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP), Panama City, Florida, about 1142.
The pilot reported that the airplane was completely fueled prior to departure. The departure was uneventful and the airplane was cruising at 2,500 feet mean sea level. About 2 hours into the flight, the pilot noted that the engine power did not seem correct, despite all the gauges indicating normal. He elected to divert to Bessemer Airport (EKY), Bessemer, Alabama; however, the engine began to lose power at that point and then lost all power as the airplane was descending toward EKY. The propeller continued to windmill as the pilot glided the airplane toward EKY. The pilot also switched fuel tanks and activated the electric fuel pump in effort to restore engine power, but was unsuccessful. The airplane impacted trees about 1 mile south of EKY. During the impact with trees, the airplane rolled inverted and then impacted the ground. All four occupants were able to egress before the airplane was consumed by a postcrash fire.
A witness, who was a firefighter standing outside a fire station near the accident site, observed the accident airplane flying northwest. The witness stated that the engine was sputtering and black smoke was emanating from the right side of the airplane. The smoke seemed to darken as the airplane flew further away from his view. He was then dispatched to the airplane accident about 5 minutes later.
A handheld Garmin 496 GPS was recovered from the cockpit and forwarded to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory, Washington, DC. Data were successfully downloaded and plots were created of the accident flight.
The airplane was manufactured in 1978 and equipped with a Lycoming IO-540, 300-horsepower engine. A factory rebuild was completed on the engine in 2002. The airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on July 3, 2014. At that time, the airframe had accumulated 2,888 total hours and the engine had accumulated 866 hours since the factory rebuild.
Post-accident examination by an NTSB investigator revealed a majority of the airplane was consumed by postcrash fire and the engine was partially separated from the airframe. One propeller blade was bent aft and exhibited chordwise scratches. The other blade exhibited an outward bend at the tip. The top spark plugs were removed; their electrodes were intact and gray or oil soaked in color, except for the No. 6 spark plug, which exhibited dark soot. A borescope examination of the No. 6 cylinder did not reveal any other anomalies. The valve covers were removed and oil was noted throughout the engine. When the propeller was rotated by hand, camshaft, crankshaft, and valve train continuity were confirmed to the rear accessory section and thumb compression was attained on all cylinders. The magnetos, engine driven fuel pump, vacuum pump, and fuel injector exhibited thermal damage from the postcrash fire and could not be tested. The oil filter and fuel flow divider also exhibited thermal damage. The fuel injector valve was open. The propeller governor oil screen and oil sump screen were absent of debris. The fuel injector nozzles were also absent of debris.
http://registry.faa.gov/N9103K
NTSB Identification: ERA14LA369
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, July 31, 2014 in Helena, AL
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32-300, registration: N9103K
Injuries: 4 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 31, 2014, about 1400 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300, N9103K, operated by a private individual, was destroyed during a forced landing, following a total loss of engine power during cruise flight near Helena, Alabama. The private pilot and three passengers were seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the planned flight to Dickson Municipal Airport (M02), Dickson, Tennessee. The flight originated from Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP), Panama City, Florida, about 1230.
During an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot reported that the airplane was completely fueled prior to departure. The departure was uneventful and the airplane was cruising at 2,500 feet mean sea level. About 205 nautical miles into the trip, the engine suddenly lost all power without any prior indication or anomalies. The propeller continued to windmill as the pilot glided the airplane toward Bessemer Airport (EKY), Bessemer, Alabama. The airplane impacted trees about 1 mile south of EKY. During the impact with trees, the airplane rolled inverted and then impacted the ground. All four occupants were able to egress before the airplane was consumed by a postcrash fire.
A handheld Garmin 496 GPS was recovered from the cockpit and retained for further examination. The engine was also retained for further examination.
Katey Hargrove
(from Facebook)
Just two months after being seriously injured in a plane crash in Alabama, Dickson County High School senior Katey Hargrove will be crowned 2014 Homecoming queen Friday night.
DCHS students elected Hargrove to be queen earlier this month following her return to school.
The 17-year-old daughter of Joyce Norman and Vince Hargrove, Katey suffered a broken back when her boyfriend’s family’s plane crashed July 31 in Alabama.
Dan and Sharon Smith, son Andy and Hargrove were returning to Dickson from Panama City, Florida, when the plane developed engine trouble and crashed near Helena, Alabama, while trying to reach the Bessemer Airport.
All four suffered numerous injuries including broken bones and were assisted by witnesses in getting away from the Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six before it was engulfed in flames.
Hargrove underwent surgery in Birmingham for a fractured vertebra in the days immediately after the wreck and managed to walk wearing a back brace with a walker in the days following. She was the first victim to be released from the hospital and returned to Dickson but was still unable to begin her senior year at DCHS for several weeks.
Hargrove and her court will ride in the parade through Dickson starting at 1 pm Friday and then celebrate the coronation ceremony in Dickson County Stadium at 6:30 pm prior to the game between the Cougars and Wilson Central.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have not released the results of their investigation into the crash.
- Source: http://wdkn.com
(L-R) Andy Smith, Katey Hargrove, Dan Smith and Sharon Smith.
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