20160721010779A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-30 · Plainfield, IL · July 21, 2016

Date: July 21, 2016 · 11:15 local
Place: Plainfield, IL
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N7409Y
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN16FA276
Reported as: Piper PA-30
Reported engine: Lycoming IO-320 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 979 total671 in this make and model3 in the last 90 days

N7409YRegistration cancelled Mar 16, 2018 · Piper PA-30S/N 30-470 · Built 1964 Airframe modelPiper PA-30 Engine modelLycoming IO-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

After an in-flight breakup, the major portion of the aircraft impacted the ground at a near vertical attitude in a residential area. Aircraft parts and debris were discovered to be within a quarter of a mile from the primary aircraft accident site. The left engine was located two blocks south. The left propeller, spinner, and left fuel tip tank was located further south from the location of the engine. The lower portion of the left wing and leading edge was located in the vicinity south and south east. The pilot was fatally injured. No other injuries on the ground were sustained. A nearby residence received major damage due to fire from ejected fiery debris and fuel from the impact.

As the FAA filed it

AFTER AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP, THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AT A NEAR VERTICAL ATTITUDE IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. AIRCRAFT PARTS AND DEBRIS WERE DISCOVERED TO BE WITHIN A QUARTER OF A MILE FROM THE PRIMARY AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT SITE. THE LEFT ENGINE WAS LOCATED TWO BLOCKS SOUTH. THE LEFT PROPELLER, SPINNER, AND LEFT FUEL TIP TANK WAS LOCATED FURTHER SOUTH FROM THE LOCATION OF THE ENGINE. THE LOWER PORTION OF THE LEFT WING AND LEADING EDGE WAS LOCATED IN THE VICINITY SOUTH AND SOUTH EAST. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. NO OTHER INJURIES ON THE GROUND WERE SUSTAINED. A NEARBY RESIDENCE RECEIVED MAJOR DAMAGE DUE TO FIRE FROM EJECTED FIERY DEBRIS AND FUEL FROM THE IMPACT.

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 CEN16FA276Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportPlainfield, ILThe pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during an en route climb near convective activity, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, an uncontrolled descent, and a subsequent in-flight breakup due to an exceedance of the airplane's design load…Jul 21, 2016 · Destroyed