- Date
- July 17, 1984, 23:07 local (Jul 18, 1984, 03:07 UTC)
- Place
- Rock Hill, SC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N400WSPiper PA-32R-300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840717039579A
- Case key
- 6289
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft was destroyed in a post flt fire after a forced landing at night in a private yard. The engine had surged and lost power during the descent through 4500 ft prior to landing. The acft had been written up for sluggishness and lack of response to throttle upon arrival at montgomery. Montgomery aviation did some maintenance checks and made a comment about suspecting fuel injectors. They stated they advised the plt of the situation but no written statement was providedto support this. Exanimation of the acft wreckage showed water in the fuel lines and distributor unit. The plt said his practice was to drain the sumps after refueling and not during pre-flt when he only 'checks the fuel level.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N400WS
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7680425
- Airframe hours
- 5,835
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Saber Aviation,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Virginia R. Yearwood
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 7, 1984 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- FTY · Atlanta, GA
- Destination
- CLT · Charlotte, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 32
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 200 in this make and model · 1,148 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CLT, 13 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.