# NTSB ATL03FA114: Piper PA-32R-301T, N270LM, Scottsboro, AL, June 19, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: June 19, 2003, 13:13 local (18:13 UTC) - Place: Scottsboro, AL - Coordinates: 34.690277, -86.022781 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.6903&lon=-86.0228&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal, 1 serious, 1 minor - Status: Completed, report April 28, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: New Piper Aircraft, Lycoming Engines, Birmingham FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 57308 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL03FA114 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57308/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL03FA114 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper fuel management which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and subsequent impact with trees. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - normal - fuel system - starvation (cause) - fuel management - improper, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The passenger said they departed St Simons Island, Georgia at about 10:00 am estimated. Their destination was Nashville, Tennessee to stop for fuel then they were to continue on to Chicago, Illinois. The passenger continued by saying that they had encountered some storm trouble somewhere in Georgia and had taken a detour. The pilot was flying the airplane on autopilot when she noticed the engine lost power. The pilot then took control of the airplane and started speaking with someone on the radio. He stated he had engine problems and needed to know where the closest airport was. The person on the radio stated that they could not see them on radar. Then stated that the closest airport was three to five miles, and the pilot responded that they could not make that three miles. The pilot stated that they were going to try and land the airplane in a field. The passenger said they circled around the field maybe two times then flew straight into a wooded area. Examination of the right wing found it attached to the fuselage and angled up about 35-degrees supported by tree branches. The right wing fuel tanks were breached in the accident and no fuel was evident. The left main and auxiliary fuel tanks were intact with about 13 gallons of fuel remaining. The fuel selector was on the right tank. Nothing was found during the course of the investigation that would have precluded this engine from producing power prior to impact. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 19, 2003, at 1313 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-301T, N270LM, registered to and operated by the private pilot, collided with trees following a loss of engine power in Scottsboro, Alabama. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and instrument flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an Instrument Flight Rules flight plan was filed. The pilot, and one passenger received fatal injuries, one passenger received serious injuries, one passenger received minor injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight originated from Saint Simons Island, Georgia on June 19, 2003, at 0923. A partial review of communications between Huntsville Air Traffic Control Tower, and the pilot revealed that he contacted the controller while at 5,000 feet and reported that he "just lost an engine". The Controller replied "understand you just lost your engine?". The pilot replied "Affirmative". The Controller informed the pilot that if he could fly heading one six zero there was an airport behind him about three miles which was Scottsboro airport. The pilot informed the Controller that he was now five hundred feet and wanted to know how far he have to go? The Controller informed the pilot that he had lost radar with him but he was three miles northeast of Scottsboro airport from where you said you lost the engine it would have been about a one six zero at three miles. That was the last radio communication with the pilot. A ground witness in the local area stated that he was in front of his house spraying an apple tree and heard the airplane, it was coming from north to south. He said the engine wasn't cutting out but that the airplane was flying low maybe 600 to 700 feet high, and looked like it was going to slow. He didn't see the airplane go down but he heard a loud crash. The airplane was flying level when he saw it and it appeared to him that nothing was wrong with the airplane. The passenger said they departed St Simons Island, Georgia at about 10:00 am estimated. Their destination was Nashville, Tennessee to stop for fuel then they were to continue on to Chicago, Illinois for a 10 day stay. The passenger continued by saying that they had encountered some storm trouble somewhere in Georgia and had taken a detour. The pilot was flying the airplane on autopilot when she noticed the engine stopped running. The pilot then took control of the airplane and started speaking with someone on the radio. She passenger was seat belted in and never lost consciousness during the crash. Once stopped she immediately checked her sister and saw she was semi-conscious. She pushed open the door and exited the airplane. She had to push some of the luggage outside. She told her sister she was going for help. She heard the sounds of cars on the roadway and ran in that direction. She stopped a vehicle with two females and they gave her a ride approximately a half mile to a gas station where she notified the police. PERSONNEL INFORMATION A review of information on file with the Federal Aviation Administration Airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land, and instrument airplane. A review of records on file with the FAA Aero Medical Records revealed the pilot held a third class medical certificate issued on March 6, 2003, with a restriction that he must wear lenses for distant and possess glasses for near vision. The pilot reported on his application for the medical certificate that he had accumulated 2,000 total flight hours. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION A review of maintenance records revealed that the engine was installed on March 31, 2003, after a factory crankshaft instalation. The annual inspection was completed on March 25, 2003, at a tachometer time of 1,468.1 hours. The airplane was sold to the registered owner on April 1, 2003. At the time of the accident the airplane had operated 36.2 hours since the Annual Inspection. In addition, the maintenance records revealed that just prior to delivery of the airplane to the new registered owner, the engine had a documented history of maintenance actions on the fuel servo, and the replacement of the engine-driven fuel pump. The discrepancy write-ups reported that the engine "runs lean on the aircraft and idle rpm is erratic". The fuel servo was removed and sent to and repaired by Precision Air in Miami, Florida, and bench checked by them a second time after the problem persisted. The unit was then sent to B&S Aircraft Accessories in Wichita, Kansas, for repair. When the original discrepancy still persisted the engine-driven fuel pump was changed. The maintenance records also revealed that after delivery of the airplane to the new owner the right magneto was changed on April 3, 2003 at a tach time of 1,475.3 hours, or 7.2 hours since delivery. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The nearest weather reporting facility at the time of the accident was Huntsville, Alabama. The 1253 surface weather observation was: scattered clouds at two thousand seven hundred, scattered clouds at six thousand, visibility eight statute miles, temperature 81-degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 70-degrees Fahrenheit, wind two nine zero degrees at five knots, and altimeter two niner niner one. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The wreckage was located in a wooded area adjacent to a large corn field, 0.7 nautical mile west of the Scottsboro Airport. The wreckage path was 115-degrees magnetic and the airplane rested on a 055 degree magnetic heading. The airplane was on its left side with the right wing 35-degrees up and supported by tree branches. A fallen tree was observed resting on top of the forward cabin area. The top of the cabin area was crushed inward with the windshield and side windows shattered. Both sides of the forward fuselage were buckled in the vicinity of the cockpit seats. Examination of the forward fuselage found the engine cowlings fragmented and crushed and the engine itself displaced to the right. The top forward part of the cabin was crushed inward by a large fallen tree which had to be removed to extract the front seat occupants. The top of the fuselage was wrinkled beginning at the rear of the baggage area and extending aft for about three feet. The aft cabin area sustained minor damage and was filled to capacity with baggage and other personal belongings. The empennage, vertical and horizontal stabilizers sustained damage. Examination of the left wing found it detached at the wing root and lying flat in the immediate vicinity of the fuselage. A portion of the left flap was separated. Three feet of the left wing tip was separated and a circular crush was observed in the leading edge of the wing. The inboard portion of the left wing had separated with the wheel well structure and a portion of the left flap which was recovered separately along with the left main landing gear. The left main and auxiliary fuel tanks were intact with about 13 gallons of fuel remaining Examination of the right wing found it attached to the fuselage and angled up about 35-degrees supported by tree branches. The right wing fuel tanks were breached and no fuel was evident. The fuel selector was on the right tank. The fire department had hosed down the wreckage with water during rescue attempts and water was noted in the fuel line between the right tank and the fuel selector, in the fuel line between the fuel selector and the boost bump, and in the fuel line from the boost pump to the engine. Examination of the engine assembly revealed the engine had sustained damage to the left forward cylinder. Both the left and right exhaust manifolds were crushed. The propeller was removed and the engine was rotated using the vacuum pump drive. Th ## Aircraft - Registration: [N270LM](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N270LM-2017-06-14), registration cancelled 2017-06-14, S/N 3257006, built 1997 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-32R-301T - Registry model: [Piper PA-32R-301T](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-301t) (registry code 7103220) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming TI0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (registry code 41533, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 32-57006 - Airframe hours: 1468.1 - Engines: Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Robert Jackson Mills - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 25, 2003, 36.2 hours before - Departed: SSI, Saint Simons Is, GA - Destination: BNA, Nashville, TN - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: 4A6, Scottsboro Municipal Word Fiel, runway 03, 5,250 × 80 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 64; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review April 4, 2003; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 2,048 total, 1,457 in this make and model, 1,858 as pilot in command, 26 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 290° at 5 knots - Visibility: 8 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 29.90 inHg - Observed at: HSV, 30 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030619013169A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030619013169A), Jun 19, 2003: Piper PA32R301T, Scottsboro, AL, Destroyed, 2 fatal. (-23) Surviving passenger states that flight originated at st. simons island, Georgia, with a planned refueling stop in nashville, tenn. Pilot was deviating to… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.