19950205003419I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA28R180 · Charleston, SC · February 5, 1995

Date: February 5, 1995 · 08:38 local
Place: Charleston, SC
Airport: Charleston Afb-International
Phase of flight: Descent
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N3721T
Reported as: Piper PA28R180
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 188 total16 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: the top engine cowl came off on descent and broke the windshield. The propeller and fuselage also sustained minor damage. The cowling and latches that separated were not recovered. The left front latch and a piece of the top cowl remained with the aircraft. The latch was bent and twisted. The pilot reported that the latches were checked on preflight and were properly secured. No further investigation can be conducted without the missing cowling and latches.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE TOP ENGINE COWL CAME OFF ON DESCENT AND BROKE THE WINDSHIELD. THE PROPELLER AND FUSELAGE ALSO SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. THE COWLING AND LATCHES THAT SEPARATED WERE NOT RECOVERED. THE LEFT FRONT LATCH AND A PIECE OF THE TOP COWL REMAINED WITH THE AIRCRAFT. THE LATCH WAS BENT AND TWISTED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE LATCHES WERE CHECKED ON PREFLIGHT AND WERE PROPERLY SECURED. NO FURTHER INVESTIGATION CAN BE CONDUCTED WITHOUT THE MISSING COWLING AND LATCHES.