# Accident 20010428008549A: Piper PA32R300, Wilmington, NC, April 28, 2001 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 28, 2001, 11:12 local time - Place: Wilmington, NC - Airport: New Hanover County - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Forced Landing - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 34.2704° N, 77.9591° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.2704&lon=-77.9591&mi=10 - Aircraft: N38261, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N38261-2011-04-27) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-32R-300 (registry code 7103213, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-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 PA32R300 - Reported engine: LYC IO540K1G5D - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 140 total, 41 in this make and model, 25 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA01LA136](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA01LA136) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010428008549A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19)ON APRIL 28, 2001, ABOUT 1125 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-32RT-300, N38261, REGISTERED TO ZQJ CORPORATION, OPERATING AS A 14 TITLE CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, CRASHED IN THE VICINITY OF WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A VISUAL FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE PRIVATE-RATED PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, ABOUT 1 HOUR BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, DURING HIS DESCENT INTO WILMINGTON FOR LANDING, AS HE PUT HIS PROPELLER CONTROL TO FULL INCREASE AS PART OF HIS BEFORE-LANDING-CHECKLIST, ENGINE RPM DECREASED TO BELOW 2,000 RPM, BEGAN SURGING, AND THEN THE ENGINE QUIT. HE DETERMINED HIS BEST ALTERNATIVE FIELD WAS A CORN FIELD ABOUT 2 TO 3 MILES SHORT OF THE AIRPORT. HE STATED HE SAW FULL FUEL TANKS DURING HIS WALK-AROUND INSPECTION BEFORE DEPARTING NEWPORT NEWS. HE STATED THAT HE SWITCHED FUEL TANKS FROM RIGHT TO LEFT ABOUT 3 MINUTES BEFORE THE LOSS OF POWER. (-23)PILOT REPORTED ENGINE POWER LOSS ON APPROACH TO WILMINGTON, NC AND COULD NOT MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO MAKE AIRPORT. HE MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A CORN FIELD APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES NORTHEAST FO THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT STATES IN HIS STATEMENT (SEE ATTACHMENTS) THAT "AFTER COMPLETING THE SECOND TURN, ABOUT 7.5 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT, I RESUMED A COURSE OF ABOUT 200 DEGREES, ENROUCHED THE MIXTURE FULLY, SWITCHED FROM THE RIGHT TO THE LEFT FUEL TANK, AND BEGAN A GRADUAL DESCENT. AFTER ABOUT 4 MILES, WHEN I WAS ABOUT 3 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT AND HAD REACHED PATTERN ALTITUDE, I ADVANCED THE PROP TO FULL RPM. AS SOON AS I DID THIS,THE RPM INCREASED TO ABOUT 2700 AND THEN DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY, SURGED BACK UP TO 2700 AND THEN DROPPED AGAIN." AN EMEGENCY LANDING WAS EXECUTED AS THE RESULTANT POWER LOSS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE PILOT TO REACH THE AIRFIELD. (.4) WITHIN 3 MILES OF LANDING, AS THE PILOT WAS COMPLETING HIS BEFORE LANDING CHECK LIST, THE ENGINE SURGED TO 2,700 RPM TWO OR THREE TIMES, AND THEN STOPPED DEVELOPING POWER, COMPLETELY. THE PILOT THOUGHT HIS BEST ALTERNATIVE WAS A FORCED LANDING TO A CORN FIELD, WHICH WAS ACCOMPLISHED BUT THE AIRFRAME SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. POST CRASH EXAMINATION BY FAA INSPECTORS REVEALED ADEQUATE FUEL WAS ABOARD. EXAMINATION OF ENGINE, FUEL, IGNITION, AND AIRFRAME COMPONENTS REVEALED THE FUEL SELECTOR COVER ASSEMBLY WAS LOOSE, MISSING MOUNTING SCREWS, AND HAD SHIFTED AFT OF ITS DESIGNED POSITION. SUCH A REPOSITIONING WOULD RENDER THE MECHANICAL SAFETY STOP THAT WOULD PREVENT AN INADVERTENT SWITCH TO "OFF" INOPERATIVE. A SEARCH OF THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE LOGS REVEALED AN ENTRY WHERE THE AIRCRAFT SEATS, DOOR PANELS, PLASTIC, AND CARPETING WERE REMOVED FOR REPLACEMENT OR CLEANING. ## 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 MIA01LA136](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA01LA136), Apr 28, 2001: Piper PA-32R-300 (N38261), Wilmington, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: A total loss of engine power due to the failure of maintenance to properly secure the fuel selector cover, resulting in the pilot inadvertently selecting "off" instead of "left" tank, and the… 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.