Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-32R-300 near Evansville, IN — 2022-10-30

Final reportCEN23LA022
Sign in to save
Date
2022-10-30
Location
Evansville, IN, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA-32R-300
Registration
N349SB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. He performed a preflight inspection, and the takeoff and climb were normal. After flying for about 1 hour 10 minutes, the pilot felt the engine shake and noticed some abnormal indications on the engine monitor. He made some adjustments to the engine controls, and the engine smoothed out and ran normally. A few minutes later, the engine surged momentarily to full power and then returned to its previous power setting. The pilot diverted to a local airport, and the engine operated normally as the airplane descended. During the approach, which was conducted in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), the engine lost total power when the airplane was about 8 miles from the airport. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The airplane exited the IMC and subsequently landed hard on a golf course, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and horizontal stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the airplane and extracted engine data revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine. Given the available evidence for this accident investigation, the reason for the total loss of engine power could not be determined.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have diverted earlier after first engine issue.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • FDR / data
  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

Related mishaps