# Accident 20000716007989A: Piper PA32300, Washington, NC, July 16, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 16, 2000, 13:22 local time
- Place: Washington, NC
- Airport: Warren Field Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.5494° N, 77.0506° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.5494&lon=-77.0506&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2947A, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2947A-2012-06-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32-300 (registry code 7103212, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32-300) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA32300
- Reported engine: LYC IO540K1G5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 651 total, 64 in this make and model, 25 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA00LA219](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00LA219) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000716007989A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE PILOT STATED THE ENGINE COWLING CAME LOOSE ON TAKEOFF AND HE MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SHORT OF THE RUNWAY AND RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE NOSE GEAR AND LEFT WING GEAR. THERE WERE MINOR INJURIES TO THE PASSENGER. (.4) THE PILOT STATED ALL COWLING FASTENERS WERE SECURE DURING HIS PREFLIGHT. AFTER TAKEOFF, THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE TOP COWLING CAME 'STRAIGHT UP.' HE TURNED TO LAND ON ANOTHER RUNWAY AND WAS 'TRYING TO MAINTAIN ENOUGH [AIRSPEED] TO STAY IN THE AIR, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO TEAR OFF THE COWLING.' HE LOWERED ONE NOTCH OF FLAPS AND LATER REPORTED, 'I RAN OUT OF LIFT.' THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD OFF THE INTENDED RUNWAY THEN SLID ONTO IT; THE TOP COWLING SEPARATED ON IMPACT. HE FURTHER STATED THE RAISED COWLING CREATED DRAG BUT DID NOT INTERFERE WITH HIS VISIBILITY; HE DID NOT APPLY FULL POWER TO REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF THE INCREASE DRAG. HE STATED, 'I SHOULD HAVE ADDED MORE POWER', THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE. THE LOWER HALF OF THE RIGHT FORWARD SIDE FASTENER WAS SEPARATED; BUT WAS FOUND, AND THE WING FASTENER OF THE RIGHT AFT SIDE FASTENER WAS SEPARATED. ADDITIONALLY, THE ATTACH STRUCTURE OF                                                  THE RIGHT COWL PIN WAS SEPARATED FROM THE TOP COWLING BUT WAS RECOVERED FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE RIGHT COWL PIN AND PIN BUSHING WERE WORN BUT THE IA INDICATED THE WEAR WAS 'NORMAL.' THE TOP COWLING IS SECURED BY 6 FASTENERS AND 2 PINS THAT ATTACH TO THE TOP COWLING AND EXTEND THROUGH A BUSHING THAT IS AFFIXED TO THE BOTTOM COWLING.

## 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 MIA00LA219](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00LA219), Jul 16, 2000: Piper PA-32-300 (N2947A), Washington, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The inadvertent stall by the pilot-in-command while returning for a precautionary landing. Contributing to the accident was the loose engine cowling.

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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