# Accident 19990516005229A: Piper PA32300, Dickson, TN, May 16, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 16, 1999, 18:38 local time - Place: Dickson, TN - Airport: Dickson Municipal Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Descent - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 36.0703° N, 87.3693° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.0703&lon=-87.3693&mi=10 - Aircraft: N414AA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N414AA-2004-05-24) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-32-300 (registry code 7103212, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32-300) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA32300 - Reported engine: LYC IO540K1A5 - People aboard: 4 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 138 total, 120 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL99LA088](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL99LA088) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990516005229A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT WAS EN ROUTE WHEN IT LOST ENGINE POWER AND WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE, THE PILOT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD 1 1/2 MILES SOUTH OF THE ARPT, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (FROM .19) ON MAY 16, 1999, AT 1838, EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-32-300, N414AA, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING ABOUT 1.5 MILES SOUTH OF THE DICKSON AIRPORT, IN DICKSON, TN. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY THE COMMERCIAL PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91, AND VISUAL FLIGHT RULES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED, ONE PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES AND THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED SAVANNAH, TN EXACT TIME UNKNOWN. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE ENGINE FAILED AND HE WA FORCED TO LAND IN A FIELD ABOUT 1.5 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT. DURING THE LANDING THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED ROUGH TERRAIN COLLAPSING THE LANDING GEAR AND DAMAGING THE WINGS. (-23) THE PIPER PA-32-300, N414AA WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AFTER LANDING IN AN UNPREPARED FIELD ABOUT 1.5 MILES SOUTH OF THE DICKSON AIRPORT IN DICKSON, TENNESSEE. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING O PERATED UNDER PART 91 IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. THE FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED SAVANNAH, TENNESSEE ENROUTE TO DICKSON. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT AND THREE OF THE FOUR PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. ONE PASSENGER RECEIVED A MINOR INJURY. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE ENGINE LOST POWER WHILE APPROACHING THE DICKSON AIRPORT. HE WAS UNBLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND WAS FORCED TO LAND IN A FIELD. UPON LANDING, THE ROUGH TERRAIN COLLAPSED THE LANDING GEAR AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE WINGS AND FUSELAGE. (.4) THE AIRPLANE LOST PARTIAL POWER FOLLOWING A SLOW DESCENT FROM 5,500 FEET TO 2,500 FEET AND DID NOT RESPOND TO AN INCREASE IN THROTTLE POSITION. THE AIRPLANE GAUGES DID NOT INDICATE ANY APPARENT PROBLEMS AND THE PILOT PERFORMED EMERGENCY PROCEDURES WHICH INCLUDED CHECKS OF THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE LEVER, ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP SWITCH, AND FUEL MIXTURE CONTROL LEVER. THE ENGINE PERFORMANCE DID NOT IMPROVE AND THE AIRPLANE HAD INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO MAKE THE NEAREST AIRPORT. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD. THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD, SEPARATING THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR FROM THE AIRPLANE AND COLLAPSING THE NOSE 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 ATL99LA088](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL99LA088), May 16, 1999: Piper PA-32-300 (N414AA), Dickson, TN, substantial damage. Probable cause: The loss of engine power due to undetermined reasons. A factor was uneven terrain. ## Other reports on N414AA (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19911020055819I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19911020055819I), Oct 20, 1991: Piper PA32300 (N414AA), Turrell, AR, Minor damage. Pilot landed short. Struck a ditch that had washed across sod runway. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.