20140731014999A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-32-300 · Helena, AL · July 31, 2014

Date
July 31, 2014 · 13:55 local
Place
Helena, AL
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N9103K
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA14LA369
Reported as
Piper PA-32-300
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
4
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
440 total390 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days

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.

Engine quit at top of descent for as of yet, unexplained reasons. Witnesses observed gray and black smoke from right side of airplane just prior to impact. Airplane destroyed by post impact fire.

As the FAA filed it

ENGINE QUIT AT TOP OF DESCENT FOR AS OF YET, UNEXPLAINED REASONS. WITNESSES OBSERVED GRAY AND BLACK SMOKE FROM RIGHT SIDE OF AIRPLANE JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. AIRPLANE DESTROYED BY POST IMPACT FIRE.

NTSB investigation

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