# NTSB CEN13LA361: Piper PA-30, N7017Y, Dayton, OH, June 20, 2013 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 20, 2013, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC) - Place: Dayton, OH - Coordinates: 39.904167, -84.21833 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.9042&lon=-84.2183&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Takeoff: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report March 24, 2014 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 87243 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN13LA361 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/87243/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=87243 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13LA361 ## Probable cause The pilot’s loss of control of the airplane for reasons that could not be undetermined because a postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 13 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 28 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 16 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Takeoff: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 1,703 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md) - [Takeoff: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 24 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 20 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 1,787 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot stated that, during the preflight inspection of the airplane, he found a small amount of water in the right inboard fuel tank. The pilot inspected the other fuel tanks and did not find any water; he then rechecked the right inboard fuel tank and did not find any additional water. During startup, the right engine stopped, but the pilot restarted it and ran it with a higher rpm during warm-up. The pilot stated that the taxi and run-up were performed without hesitation or problems but that the takeoff run seemed "sluggish" and that the airplane then drifted right. The pilot was unable to correct the drift by applying rudder, so he reduced the throttles and chose to perform a force landing on a closed taxiway. The airplane landed short of the taxiway and impacted a bump in the terrain, which caused the landing gear to collapse. Although water in the right engine's fuel tank could have resulted in power loss and the subsequent drift to the right, examination of the airplane did not find any water in the fuel nor any abnormalities that would have prevented the engines from producing power. A reason for the pilot's loss of directional control could not be determined. ## Factual narrative On June 20, 2013, about 0930 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-30 airplane, N7017Y, performed a forced landing at the James M Cox Dayton International airport (KDAY) Dayton, Ohio. The private rated pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered Horizon Aviation LLC, Tipp City, Ohio and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight which operated without a flight plan. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that during the preflight he found a small amount of water in the right main inboard fuel tank. He checked the other fuel tanks and did not find any water. He rechecked the right main inboard tank again and did not observe any water. He reported that during engine start the right engine stopped, he restarted the engine, and he had to run the right engine's rpm slightly higher during warm up. He added that during the taxi to the runway and during the run-up, the engines performed without hesitation and he did not observe any problems. That pilot stated that the departure roll seemed "sluggish". The airplane started to drift right; he was unable to correct the drift by applying the rudder, so reduced the throttles back to idle. He then elected to conduct a force landing on a closed taxiway, so he added power, in order to reach the taxiway. However, the airplane landed short of the taxiway and impacted a bump in the terrain. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the airplane's nose and main landing gear had collapsed, the right wing, and the fuselage had sustained substantial damage. Examination of the airplane's engines revealed the fuel servo on the right engine had separated from the engine's intake. Examination of the servo revealed that the facture was consistent with impact damage. The examination did not reveal any abnormalities that would have prevented the engines from producing power. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N7017Y](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N7017Y), registered now, S/N 30-18, built 1963 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-30 - Registry model: [Piper PA-30](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-30) (registry code 7103002) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-320-series) (registry code 41509, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 30-18 - Airframe hours: 4254 - Engines: LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES 150 horsepower reciprocating; LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Horizon Aviation LLC - Registered owner: Horizon Aviation LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 9, 2012 - Departed: KDAY, Dayton, OH - Destination: I74, Urbana, OH - Airport: KDAY, James M Cox Dayton Intn'l, runway 06R, 7,285 × 150 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 60; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review May 12, 2012; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 473 total, 107 in this make and model, 354 as pilot in command, 30 in the last 90 days, 5 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 25,000 ft broken - Temperature: 68 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 30.22 inHg - Observed at: KDAY ## 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 20130620011249A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130620011249A), Jun 20, 2013: Piper PA-30, Dayton, OH, Substantial damage. A pilot and one passenger were taking off at Dayton International Airport. At about 50 feet AGL the pilot reported the aircraft was yawing to the right. He… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 22, 2014, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=87243. 1.1 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 970 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407350&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Weather Reports and Records (item 2, .PDF, 17 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407362&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-Master.PDF - Other Pertinent Forms and Reports (memo) (item 3, .PDF, 79 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407366&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Other%20Pertinent%20Forms%20and%20Reports%20(memo)-Master.PDF 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.