# Accident 19910501013939A: Piper PA31310, Bennett, CO, May 1, 1991

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 1, 1991, 06:53 local time
- Place: Bennett, CO
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.7398° N, 104.7807° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.7398&lon=-104.7807&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7407L, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7407L-2014-11-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-31-310 (registry code 7103102, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-310) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA31310
- Reported engine: LYC TIO540A2B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 6,200 total, 150 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN91FA065](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN91FA065) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19910501013939A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LOST LEFT ENGINE COWL AND POWER. NOT FEATHERED. BELOW VMC LOST CONTROL. LEFT TURBO FAILED. FAILED TO SECURE COWL.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DEN91FA065](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN91FA065), May 1, 1991: Piper PA-31B-310 (N7407L), Bennett, CO, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: IN-FLIGHT SEPARATION OF THE LEFT ENGINE COWL ASSEMBLY THAT WAS NOT PROPERLY LATCHED, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN MINIMUM CONTROL SPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL.…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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