# Accident 20200610006149A: Piper PA-32RT-300T, Selma, AL, June 10, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 10, 2020, 16:32 local time
- Place: Selma, AL
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.3269° N, 87.0572° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.3269&lon=-87.0572&mi=10
- Aircraft: N543GS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N543GS-2022-04-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32RT-300T (registry code 7103216, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32rt-300t) (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-32RT-300T
- Reported engine: LYCOMING TI0-540 SER
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,600 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA20LA212](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20LA212) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200610006149A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

06/10/2020 - AIRCRAFT N543GS TOOK OFF FROM WALKER COUNTY AIRPORT (KJFX) AT 1543 LOCAL TIME IN ROUTE TO PENSACOLA, FL (PNS), WITH 2 POB. SHORTLY AFTER REACHING 15,000, N543GS REQUESTED LOWER BECAUSE OF A MAINTENANCE PROBLEM. N543GS THEN DECLARED AN EMERGENCY, STATING THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE AND WAS DIRECTED BY ATC TO CRAIG FIELD, SELMA, AL (KSEM). N543GS DEPARTED 10,000, AND WAS DESCENDING FOR KSEM. N543GS DISAPPEARED FROM ATC RADAR. N543GS WAS FOUND TO HAVE IMPACTED THE GROUND AT HIGH RATE OF SPEED.  BOTH OCCUPANTS RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.

## 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 ERA20LA212](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20LA212), Jun 10, 2020: Piper PA32RT (N543GS), Selma, AL, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The mechanic’s failure to clean the oil suction screen during the most recent maintenance, which resulted in oil starvation and subsequent total loss of engine power.

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.

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