# Accident 20140226003129A: Piper PA-31-350, Lanai City, HI, February 26, 2014 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: February 26, 2014, 21:11 local time - Place: Lanai City, HI - Airport: Lanai - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out - Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135) - Operator: M42A - Location: 20.7731° N, 156.9444° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=20.7731&lon=-156.9444&mi=10 - Aircraft: N483VA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N483VA-2014-08-27) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-31-350 (registry code 7103110, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-350) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-31-350 - Reported engine: LYCOMING TI0-540 SER - People aboard: 6 - Fatal injuries: 3 - Other injuries: 3 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot - Pilot flight hours: 4,570 total, 3,976 in this make and model, 31 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR14FA124](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14FA124) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140226003129A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON FEBRUARY 26, 2014, ABOUT 2130 HAWAIIAN TIME, A PIPER PA-31-350, N483VA, COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE FROM THE LANAI AIRPORT (PHNY), LANAI CITY, HAWAII. THE CERTIFIED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED AND THREE OTHER PASSENGERS WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND WAS PARTIALLY CONSUMED BY A POST IMPACT FIRE. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO MAUI AIRCRAFT LEASING, LLC, AND OPERATED BY MAUI ISLAND AIR UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 135 AS A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE FLIGHT, WHICH WAS OPERATED ON A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN. THE FLIGHT HAD A PLANNED DESTINATION OF KAHULUI AIRPORT, KAHULUI, HAWAII. AN INITIAL EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE BY THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD, INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE, REVEALED ABOUT A 640-FOOT-LONG DEBRIS FIELD THAT STRETCHED FROM THE FIRST INITIAL POINT OF CONTACT (FIPC) TO AN ENGINE COMPONENT NEAR THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE FIPC WAS A GROUND SCAR THAT STRETCHED ABOUT 160-FEET-IN-LENGTH AND ABOUT 1-FOOT-WIDE. CHARRING VEGETATION WAS OBSERVED ABOUT 100 FEET DOWN THE GROUND SCAR FROM THE FIPC AND FANNED OUT ON EITHER SIDE OF THE DEBRIS PATH FOR ABOUT 260 FEET TO ABOUT 50 FEET IN WIDTH AT ITS FURTHEST. THE MAJORITY OF THE WRECKAGE DEBRIS WAS FOUND ON THE LAST 2/3 OF THE DEBRIS FIELD. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS MOSTLY CONSUMED BY A POST IMPACT FIRE. A REVIEW OF THE RECORDED DATA FROM PHNY, AUTOMATED WEATHER OBSERVATION STATION REVEALED AT 2056 CONDITIONS WERE WIND 050 DEGREES AT 21 KNOTS, WITH GUSTS TO 25 KNOTS, VISIBILITY 10 STATUTE MILES, CLEAR SKY, TEMPERATURE 18 DEGREES CELSIUS, DEW POINT 16 DEGREES CELSIUS, AND AN ALTIMETER SETTING OF 30.03 INCHES OF MERCURY. EXAMINATION: LYCOMING AND PIPER MANUFACTURING INVESTIGATORS EXAMINED THE ENGINE COMPONENTS; MAGS, CYLINDERS, SPARK PLUGS, CHECKED COMPRESSION AND OTHER EVALUATIONS. THERE WERE NO APPARENT MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE ENGINES. PIPER MANUFACTURING INVESTIGATOR CONFIRMED ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS, CONTROL SURFACES, CABLES AND FIXTURES WERE CONFIRMED INTACT. THE POST IMPACT FIRE CONSUMED THE FUSELAGE AND ALL SURFACES. FINDINGS: THE ENGINES AND AIRCRAFT WERE FOUND TO BE AIRWORTHY AND OPERATING IAW MANUFACTURING SPECIFICATIONS. DETERMINATION: THE PIC MAY HAVE LOST AWARENESS AND FLEW THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE GROUND WHEN POSSIBILY TURNING TO THE RIGHT AS TO TURN BACK TOWARDS THE AIRPORT VOR. THERE WAS A SLIGHT HEAD WIND WHICH MIGHT HAVE CAUSED HIM TO CHANGE THE NORMAL TAKEOFF ROUTE. THE CONDITIONS WERE IMC AND THE PIC SHOULD HAVE CONSIDERED AN IFR FLIGHT. INSTEAD OF VFR FLIGHT. ## 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 WPR14FA124](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14FA124), Feb 27, 2014: Piper PA31 (N483VA), Lanai City, HI, substantial damage, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s spatial disorientation while turning during flight in dark night conditions and terrain-induced turbulence, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident… ## Other reports on N483VA (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20140227004249A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140227004249A), Feb 27, 2014: Piper PA-31-350 (N483VA), Lanai City, HI, Destroyed, 3 fatal. On February 27, 2014, about 2130 Hawaii time, a Piper PA-31-350, N483VA, collided with terrain shortly after departure from the Lanai airport (lny), Lanai… 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.