20110325004709A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-20 · Elgin, SC · March 25, 2011

Date: March 25, 2011 · 13:30 local
Place: Elgin, SC
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N7746K
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA11FA210
Reported as: Piper PA-20
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-290 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 7,100 total

N7746KRegistered now · Piper PA-20S/N 20-569 · Built 1950 Airframe modelPiper PA-20 Engine modelLycoming 0-290 series4 cycle

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.

The aircraft was observed flying low and the engine was reported running rough. The aircraft was observed making erratic movements. It circled the area and on the second circle it was observed to pitch up and then nose over, go inverted and crashed. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire. One person on board, the pilot was fatally injured.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING LOW AND THE ENGINE WAS REPORTED RUNNING ROUGH. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED MAKING ERRATIC MOVEMENTS. IT CIRCLED THE AREA AND ON THE SECOND CIRCLE IT WAS OBSERVED TO PITCH UP AND THEN NOSE OVER, GO INVERTED AND CRASHED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY A POST CRASH FIRE. ONE PERSON ON BOARD, THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA11FA210Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportElgin, SCA total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion resulting from the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning. Contributing to the accident was that the pilot did not maintain an adequate airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.Mar 25, 2011 · Substantial damage