The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Charlotte, North Carolina
Piper Aircraft; Vero Beach, Florida
Location: Fletcher, NC
Accident Number: ERA20LA062
Date & Time: 12/28/2019, 1735 EST
Registration: N27GB
Aircraft: Piper PA32RT
Injuries: 5 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On December 28, 2019, about 1735 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32RT-300, N27GB, was destroyed during an emergency landing in Fletcher, North Carolina, after it experienced a partial loss of engine power during the initial climb from Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), Asheville, North Carolina. The private pilot and four passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, that was destined for Cobb County International Airport-McCollum Field (RYY), Atlanta, Georgia.
According to the pilot, he departed from RYY earlier in the day with four family members and flew to AVL. The airplane had 86 gallons of fuel on board when it departed RYY. Prior to takeoff from AVL the pilot performed an engine runup and everything was normal. During taxi he was following a CRJ, and the air traffic control tower controller advised him of wake turbulence.
During the takeoff he rotated the airplane "a little early" at 75 knots to avoid the wake turbulence from the CRJ. He climbed at Vx (best angle of climb); then the airplane started to feel "sluggish." He checked that the mixture, propeller, and throttle controls were all full forward and "nosed" the airplane forward.
The pilot believed that the airplane experience an additional loss of engine power and thought he had enough altitude to turn back to the airport. He subsequently thought that the engine was "rolling back," noted that the oil pressure gauge was in the "yellow," and attempted to land in a parking lot. He kept the landing gear in the up position, extended the wing flaps and aimed between light poles. The right wing hit "something," and the airplane stopped. When he exited, his wife and the children were already out of the airplane.
Examination of photographs taken of the accident site and airplane revealed that the airplane struck a chain link fence, and an electrical distribution box before coming to rest. The majority of the airplane's cabin and aft fuselage had been consumed by a postcrash fire.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airmen and pilot records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane multi-engine land, airplane single engine land, and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on February 1, 2015. He reported that he had accrued about 327 total hours of flight experience, 224 of which was in the accident airplane make and model.
According to FAA airworthiness and aircraft maintenance records, the airplane was manufactured in 1978. The airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on May 6, 2019. At the time of the inspection, the airplane had accrued about 4,082 total hours of operation, and the engine had accrued about 365 hours since major overhaul.
The recorded weather at AVL, at 1754, included wind 150 at 5 knots, visibility 9 miles, overcast ceiling at 10,000 ft, temperature 16° C, dew point 9° C, and an altimeter setting of 30.20 inches of mercury.
The wreckage was retained for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N27GB
Model/Series: PA32RT 300
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation: AVL, 2162 ft msl
Observation Time: 1754 EST
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 16°C / 9°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots / , 150°
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 10000 ft agl
Visibility: 9 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.2 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Asheville, NC (AVL)
Destination: Atlanta, GA (RYY)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 4 None
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 5 None
Latitude, Longitude: 35.425000, -82.531944 (est)
Factual Information
ReplyDeleteOn December 28, 2019, about 1732 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32RT-300 Airplane, N27GB, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Fletcher, North Carolina. The pilot and four passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, they had departed from Cobb County International Airport-McCollum Field (RYY), Atlanta, Georgia earlier in the day and flew to Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), Asheville, North Carolina. When he went to depart AVL for the return flight, he did a runup and everything was normal. During taxi he was following a Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ), and tower advised him of wake turbulence. During the takeoff he rotated a little early at 75 knots to avoid the wake turbulence from the CRJ. He was climbing at Vx (best angle of climb) when the airplane started to feel “sluggish.” He checked that the mixture, propeller, and throttle controls were all full forward and nosed the airplane forward. He felt there was a and initiated a turn back to the airport. The airplane felt like it was mushing though, so he elected to perform a forced landing to a parking lot. He glanced over and thought that the oil pressure gauge was in the “yellow,” and the engine felt like it was “rolling back.” He kept the landing gear in the up position and extended the wing flaps and aimed between light poles. The right wing hit something, and the airplane stopped. During the impact sequence the airplane struck a chain link fence and an electrical distribution box before coming to rest. Much of the cabin and aft fuselage was consumed by a post-crash fire. The engine had remained attached to its mount with no evidence of pre-impact fire or fire damage observed. During a postaccident examination, the drivetrain could not be rotated during an attempted rotation by hand of the propeller. Removal of the six cylinders revealed discoloration consistent with lack of lubrication of the connecting rod journals; furthermore, the number four connecting rod was separated from the crankshaft. All six cylinders oil spray nozzles remained attached to their respective attach points. Removal of the accessories, accessory case, and oil sump revealed that two of the oil pump’s drive gear teeth were fractured. They were later located in the oil sump. No visible damage was observed to the idler gear which drove the oil pump. Examination revealed the idler gear would not rotate the oil pump drive gear with two separated teeth. The oil pump, idler gear, and additional associated components were examined by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Materials Laboratory. Examination of the oil pump drive gear indicated that the two teeth fractured in overstress under rotation. The direction of bending and shear in the teeth fracture was consistent with the direction of rotation of the gear. The examination did not determine why the gear teeth fractured and separated from the oil pump drive gear. According to FAA and airplane maintenance records, the engine had accrued about 365 hours since major overhaul, which had occurred on November 5, 2013.