20170816017119I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-32R-300 · Taylorsville, NC · August 16, 2017

Date: August 16, 2017 · 20:05 local
Place: Taylorsville, NC
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N38523
Reported as: Piper PA-32R-300
Reported engine: Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 611 total

N38523Registration cancelled Oct 31, 2020 · Piper PA-32R-300S/N 32R-7780438 · Built 1977 Airframe modelPiper PA-32R-300 Engine modelLycoming IO-540 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.

The aircraft had departed kipj (lincoln county) for kukf (wilkes county) and was at 4.500' MSL and approx 7 miles NE of Taylorsville NC when pilot heard 2 loud knocks/bangs and observed the engine RPM decrease to approx 800 RPM and then the engine quit. Pilot states he tried to restart including switching fuel to tanks to no avail. He then selected what he considered to be the best field to land in and executed an emergency landing.

Upon landing the landing gear encountered rough & uneven terrain resulting in damage to the left & right main landing gear. There was also some minor wrinkling of the left wing skin near the wing tip. Damage considered minor. No other observed damage besides that noted above.

PIC was only person on board and reported to FAA iic that he suffered no injuries.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT HAD DEPARTED KIPJ (LINCOLN COUNTY) FOR KUKF (WILKES COUNTY) AND WAS AT 4.500' MSL AND APPROX 7 MILES NE OF TAYLORSVILLE NC WHEN PILOT HEARD 2 LOUD KNOCKS/BANGS AND OBSERVED THE ENGINE RPM DECREASE TO APPROX 800 RPM AND THEN THE ENGINE QUIT. PILOT STATES HE TRIED TO RESTART INCLUDING SWITCHING FUEL TO TANKS TO NO AVAIL. HE THEN SELECTED WHAT HE CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST FIELD TO LAND IN AND EXECUTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING.

UPON LANDING THE LANDING GEAR ENCOUNTERED ROUGH & UNEVEN TERRAIN RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE LEFT & RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THERE WAS ALSO SOME MINOR WRINKLING OF THE LEFT WING SKIN NEAR THE WING TIP. DAMAGE CONSIDERED MINOR. NO OTHER OBSERVED DAMAGE BESIDES THAT NOTED ABOVE.

PIC WAS ONLY PERSON ON BOARD AND REPORTED TO FAA IIC THAT HE SUFFERED NO INJURIES.

Other reports on N38523 · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20180724017819ATakeoff: Climb Out · Iron Station, NCOn July 24, 2018, approximately 0530 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32 airplane, N38523, sustained substantial damage and was destroyed during an impact with terrain about .25 miles northwest of runway 5-23 at lincoln county airport, Iron Station, NC. The…Jul 24, 2018 · Destroyed · 2 fatal