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20171214023109A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-32-300 · Hanesville, GA · December 14, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
December 14, 2017 · 08:47 local
Place
Hanesville, GA
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N4326X
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR18LA051
Reported as
Piper PA-32-300
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
200 total100 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N4326XRegistration cancelled Jan 9, 2021 · Piper PA-32-300S/N 32-7640010 · Built 1975Airframe modelPiper PA-32-300Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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 pilot departed from metter, GA enroute to wright army airfield to pick up three passengers. While on final approach into wright, the pilot felt a shutter and a bang. The windscreen was filled with oil and he could not see out. He also felt a loss of power. The aircraft descended into the forest, approximately 2 miles short of the runway. The aircraft struck a few tree tops and then proceeded to impact a few more trees which tore the right wing tip and finally the right wing completely off the fuselage. This, in turn, sent the aircraft sideways, into a tree. The aircraft struck the final tree about 15? Above the ground and with the belly of the beginning of the empennage. The rest of the aircraft wrapped itself around the tree where the aircraft came to rest, upside down with the cockpit intact and the engine still attached to the fire wall and cockpit. The propeller was also still attached and the blades were not damaged. Two blades could be seen. The third blade was in the ground and could not be seen.

We were able to later identify that the engine had failed and came apart at the number 4 piston rod and rod cap.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT DEPARTED FROM METTER, GA ENROUTE TO WRIGHT ARMY AIRFIELD TO PICK UP THREE PASSENGERS. WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH INTO WRIGHT, THE PILOT FELT A SHUTTER AND A BANG. THE WINDSCREEN WAS FILLED WITH OIL AND HE COULD NOT SEE OUT. HE ALSO FELT A LOSS OF POWER. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED INTO THE FOREST, APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A FEW TREE TOPS AND THEN PROCEEDED TO IMPACT A FEW MORE TREES WHICH TORE THE RIGHT WING TIP AND FINALLY THE RIGHT WING COMPLETELY OFF THE FUSELAGE. THIS, IN TURN, SENT THE AIRCRAFT SIDEWAYS, INTO A TREE. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE FINAL TREE ABOUT 15? ABOVE THE GROUND AND WITH THE BELLY OF THE BEGINNING OF THE EMPENNAGE. THE REST OF THE AIRCRAFT WRAPPED ITSELF AROUND THE TREE WHERE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST, UPSIDE DOWN WITH THE COCKPIT INTACT AND THE ENGINE STILL ATTACHED TO THE FIRE WALL AND COCKPIT. THE PROPELLER WAS ALSO STILL ATTACHED AND THE BLADES WERE NOT DAMAGED. TWO BLADES COULD BE SEEN. THE THIRD BLADE WAS IN THE GROUND AND COULD NOT BE SEEN.

WE WERE ABLE TO LATER IDENTIFY THAT THE ENGINE HAD FAILED AND CAME APART AT THE NUMBER 4 PISTON ROD AND ROD CAP.

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 WPR18LA051Accident · Minor injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportHinesville, GAA total loss of engine power due to the failure of a connecting rod.Dec 14, 2017 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N4326X · 1

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

Incident 19800207020879INormal Cruise · Woodburn, INAircraft lost power. Throttle arm on fuel injector was loose as a result of serration wear.Feb 7, 1980