# Accident 19980420007269A: Piper PA46310P, Beaufort, SC, April 20, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 20, 1998, 18:47 local time
- Place: Beaufort, SC
- Airport: Beaufort County Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.3303° N, 80.6795° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.3303&lon=-80.6795&mi=10
- Aircraft: N77DE, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N77DE) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-46-310P (registry code 7104605, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-46-310p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-520 series (registry code 17040, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA46310P
- Reported engine: CONT TSIO520BE
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 605 total, 26 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA98LA140](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA140) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980420007269A

## Narrative

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

LOST POWER ENROUTE. STRUCK TREES ON FORCED LANDING. INDICATES FUEL EXHAUSTION. BROKE OFF RIGHT WING AND GEAR.(.4) ON THE THIRD LEG OF A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, WHILE FLYING ABOUT 1,000 FEET MSL, NEAR THE DESTINATION AIRPORT, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE'S RPM'S BEGAN TO AUDIBLY FLUCTUATE, AND THE POWER THEN QUIT. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES TO RESTORE ENGINE POWER WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE FLIGHT WAS VECTORED TOWARD THE DESTINATION AIRPORT AND WHILE FLYING PERPENDICULAR TO THE RUWNAY, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND JUST SHORT OF THE RUNWAY EDGE, ROLLED ACROSSED THE RUNWAY INTO A MARSH, AND CAME TO REST UPRIGHT WITH THE RIGHT WING SEPARATED. ADEQUATE FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE LEFT WING FUEL TANK. WHILE STILL INSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE, THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND FOUND TO OPOERATE NORMALLY. NO PREIMAPCT MALFUNCTION WAS NOTED TO THE FUEL DELIVERY, OR FUEL SYSTEM. FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS BASED ON THE FLIGHT TIMES, REPORTED FUEL FLOW FOR EACH LEG, AND ALTITUDES FLOWN, REVEALED THAT THE ESTIMATED FUEL CONSUMED WAS ABUT 86 GALLONS. THE TOTAL USABLE FUEL CAPACITY IS 120 GALLONS. (-23) LOST POWER ENROUTE. STRUCK TREES ON FORCED LANDING.  INDICATES FUEL EXHAUSTION.  BROKE OFF RIGHT WING AN D GEAR.

## 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 MIA98LA140](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA140), Apr 20, 1998: Piper PA-46-310P (N77DE), Beaufort, SC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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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