# NTSB CHI02FA215: Piper PA-30, N8563Y, Marble Hill, MO, July 25, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: July 25, 2002, 12:59 local (17:59 UTC) - Place: Marble Hill, MO - Coordinates: 37.436111, -90.016944 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.4361&lon=-90.0169&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report February 5, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration, Textron Lycoming, The New Piper, Inc. - ADs cited in the narratives: [AD 83-10-01](https://openairdocs.org/ad/83-10-01) (OpenAirDocs) - NTSB case key (mKey): 55300 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI02FA215 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55300/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55300 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02FA215 ## Probable cause The solid fuel system contamination resulting in a loss of engine power. The inadequate emergency procedures, and the airspeed not maintained by the pilot were additional causes. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - 1 engine - fuel system - contamination (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - emergency procedure - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - Loss of control - in flight, emergency descent/landing - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command - airspeed - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency descent/landing - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The airplane, owned and piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed during an off airport landing attempt. The pilot reported a loss of engine power while en route. Witnesses reported hearing engine noise when the airplane began to circle over a 40-acre grass field. The engine noise ceased about midpoint through the turn. Ground scarring and wreckage distribution was consistent with a nose down low-speed impact. Nonvolatile memory aboard the airplane showed that the left engine was colder than the right engine and that the pilot may have attempted to start the failed engine. Solid contamination of the fuel system was noted. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 25, 2002, at 1259 central daylight time, a Piper PA-30, N8563Y, owned and piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it impacted a 40 acre grass field near Marble Hill, Missouri. The pilot reported a loss of engine power and that he was landing in a field. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight departed from the Whiteside County Airport, Rock Falls, Illinois, en route to Newport, Arkansas. The pilot departed from Appleton, Wisconsin, where he purchased 18 gallons of 100 Low Lead (LL) aviation fuel at 0838. He made a stop and subsequently departed from Whiteside County Airport where he purchased 43.3 gallons of 100 LL fuel at 1039. The following is a transcription of recorded conversations with St. Louis Automated Flight Service Station (STL AFSS) and the accident airplane: At 1251:17, N8563Y transmitted, "mayday mayday eight five six three yankee anybody hear me." At 1251:23, STL AFSS transmitted, "eight five six three yankee saint louis radio read *(you) loud and clear." At 1251:26, N8563Y transmitted, " *(yeah) six three yankees gonna have to put it down in a field somewhere *(now) I just lost my other engine." At 1251:31, STL AFSS transmitted, "rodger uh are you near...do you know your position." At 1251:35, N8563Y transmitted, "five six three yankee." At 1251:50, N8563Y transmitted, "that's affirmative we're goin' into a field down here somewhere i don't---." The * indicated that the portion of the re-recording is not entirely clear, but this represent the best interpretation possible under the circumstances. There were no further radio transmissions by N8563Y were recorded. A witness stated that he was outside his home when he heard the engine of the airplane sputter like it was out of fuel. It then became silent and just gliding. Then it sputtered again and became silent. The airplane was flying low over the trees toward an open field, made a turn towards the left and then "went to an angle." He could see the top of the airplane. A second witness said that he first noticed the airplane because it was low. The airplane sounded all right as it came in from the east. The airplane began a circle over his hayfield which he described as "it came in smooth" and it "was gradually descending." The airplane "fluttered and backfired" about 1/2 way through the circle while heading towards the south. After it backfired, the engine noise went silent. The landing gear was not extended. He said that it was 100 degrees outside and humid. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 59, held a private pilot certificate with a single engine land and instrument rating and a multiengine land rating for visual flight rules only. He was issued a third class airman medical certificate on June 22, 2000 with the following limitation: "holder must wear corrective lenses." AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The 1967 airplane, serial number (S/N) 30-1679, was powered by two Lycoming fuel injected IO-320-B1A engines rated at 160 horsepower at 2,700 rpm The airplane was last inspected during an annual inspection dated July 27, 2001, at a tachometer time of 3,487.8 hours and a total time in service (TTIS) of 3,487.8 hours. The left engine, serial number L-3601-55A, received its last inspection during a annual inspection dated July 27, 2001, at a tachometer 3,487.8 and a TTIS of 3,487.8 hours. The right engine, serial number L-3566-55A, received its last inspection during an annual inspection dated July 27, 2001, at a tachometer time of 3,662.6 and a TTIS of 3,662.6 hours. The airplane was equipped with a Vision Microsystems Inc., VM1000 graphic engine monitoring system which was sent to the manufacturer in order to download the units nonvolatile memory. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The airplane was upright and oriented on a tail to nose heading of about 200 degrees on a 40 acre grass field. The wings and their control surfaces, empennage, and engines were attached to the fuselage. Both propellers and pieces from the nose of the airplane were located about 60 feet to the southeast of the airplane. The propellers were about 1-1 1/2 feet under ground. A wreckage diagram is included in the public docket of this accident. Flight control continuity to the control surfaces to their respective control surfaces was confirmed. The rudder trim jack screw was 11 threads which equated to about half nose left trim travel and the elevator jack screw extension was about 5/8 inches which equated to about 3-4 degrees nose up trim. The flaps and landing gear were retracted. The left engine throttle was in the idle position. The left engine mixture control was in the full rich position. The left propeller control was in the "decrease" position. The right engine throttle control was in the forward position. The right engine mixture control was retarded about one inch behind the left engine mixture control. The right propeller control was in the forward position. Both cowl flaps were closed. Both left engine magneto switches were in the off position. The right engine magneto switches were on for the right magneto and off for the left magneto. The master switch was in the on position. The right main fuel tank, left main, and left auxiliary fuel tank contained a liquid consistent with 100 LL which was about 2-3 inches below the filler neck. The right auxiliary fuel tank was empty. The left fuel selector was in the left main position and the right fuel selector was in the right auxiliary position. On-site examination of the engines revealed that the left engine driven fuel pump contained about a 1/4 cup of fuel and the right engine driven fuel pump contained less than a 1/2 teaspoon of fuel. Both fuel selector were disassembled and examined and noted to contain a brown colored contaminant which was also found on the fuel servo screens for both engines. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION An autopsy of the pilot was performed at the Mineral Area Regional Medical Center, Farmington, Missouri. The Federal Aviation Administration’s Final Toxicology Fatal Accident Report of the pilot reported the following: 0.231 (ug/mL, ug/g) norpropoxyphene detected in blood 0.743 (ug/mL, ug/g) norpropoxyphene detected in urine ranitidine present in blood ranitidine present in urine 77.23 (ug/ml, ug/g) salicylate detected in urine 14.23 (ug/ml, ug/g) acetaminophen detected in urine TESTS AND RESEARCH Airworthiness Directive (AD) 83-10-01 applicable to Piper models PA-24-400 (S/Ns 26-2 through 26-148); PA-30 (S/Ns 30-2 through 30-2000); and PA-39 (S/Ns 39-1 through 39-155) was issued to prevent retention of water contamination and deterioration of the fuel system, accomplish the following: (A) Within the next 50 hours time-in-service after the effective date of this AD and at intervals not exceeding 50 hours time-in-service thereafter, clean and inspect the fuel selector valve strainer filter on all airplanes listed in the applicability statement for water accumulation, contamination, and corrosion of the fuel strainer filter components... (B) Within the next 100 hours time-in-service after the effective date of this AD, replace the existing fuel selector strainer filter housing on the Model PA-30 (S/Ns 30-2 through 30-1744) airplanes with Piper P/N 757187 conical-shaped stainless steel strainer housing in accordance with Piper Service Letter No. 589, dated August 18, 1971. NOTE: This may have been previously accomplished per Piper Service Spares Letter No. SP-289 or Service Letter No. 589. (C) Within the next 50 hours time-in-service after the effective date of this AD, fabricate and install a permanent placard as described below having letters with 1/8 inch minimum height on the inside of the hinged access door ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8563Y](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8563Y-2003-01-10), registration cancelled 2003-01-10, S/N 30-1679, built 1967 (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: 30-1679 - Engines: Lycoming IO-320-B1A 160 horsepower - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Anthony B Junkin - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 27, 2001 - Departed: SQI, Rock Falls, IL - Destination: Newport, AR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 59; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review December 27, 2001; seat: left; toxicology performed ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 0 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 10,000 ft broken - Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 66 °F - Altimeter: 30.04 inHg - Observed at: FAM, 20 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 20020725020159A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020725020159A), Jul 25, 2002: Piper PA30, Marblehill, MO, No damage, 1 fatal. (-23) Approximately 8 miles north of the marble hill, MO airport the pilot reported losing power on the right engine [privacy data omitted] during this time,… ## Other investigations on N8563Y (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 MIA78FLG17](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA78FLG17), Apr 8, 1978: Piper PA-30 (N8563Y), Landrum, SC, destroyed ## Docket (25 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 25, 2003, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55300. 4.3 MB in all. - ATC 3 - Sound Spectrum Study (item 1, .PDF, 435 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40197749&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=ATC%203%20-%20Sound%20Spectrum%20Study-Master.PDF - Witness Statements (item 2, .PDF, 141 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40388277&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statements-Redacted.PDF - Wreckage Diagram (item 3, .PDF, 18 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201074&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Wreckage%20Diagram-Master.PDF - ATC Transcripts (item 4, .PDF, 60 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40388281&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=ATC%20Transcripts-Redacted.PDF - VM1000 Download (item 5, .PDF, 106 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201076&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=VM1000%20Download-Master.PDF - Fuel Receipts (item 6, .PDF, 69 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40388284&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Fuel%20Receipts-Redacted.PDF - Aircraft Logs (item 7, .PDF, 534 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40388286&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Aircraft%20Logs-Redacted.PDF - Pilot Logbook (item 8, .PDF, 197 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40388287&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%20Logbook-Redacted.PDF - Other Log Found in Airplane (item 9, .PDF, 129 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201080&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Other%20Log%20Found%20in%20Airplane-Master.PDF - Airworthiness Directive (item 10, .PDF, 136 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201081&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Airworthiness%20Directive-Master.PDF - Toxicological Report (item 11, .PDF, 53 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201082&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Master.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation (item 12, .PDF, 339 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40388289&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation-Redacted.PDF - Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 13, .PDF, 70 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40388291&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Redacted.PDF - Photo 1. Accident Site (item 14, .PDF, 245 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201085&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201.%20%20Accident%20Site-Master.PDF - Photo 2. Accident Site (item 15, .PDF, 261 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201086&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202.%20%20Accident%20Site-Master.PDF - Photo 3. Accident Site (item 16, .PDF, 216 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201087&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203.%20%20Accident%20Site-Master.PDF - Photo 4. Airplane (item 17, .PDF, 121 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201088&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204.%20%20Airplane-Master.PDF - Photo 5. Airplane (item 18, .PDF, 114 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201089&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%205.%20%20Airplane-Master.PDF - Photo 6. Airplane (item 19, .PDF, 127 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201090&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%206.%20%20Airplane-Master.PDF - Photo 7. Airplane (item 20, .PDF, 146 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201091&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%207.%20%20Airplane-Master.PDF - Photo 8. Airplane (item 21, .PDF, 149 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201092&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%208.%20%20Airplane-Master.PDF - Photo 9. Fuel Selectors (item 22, .PDF, 200 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201093&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%209.%20%20Fuel%20Selectors-Master.PDF - Photo 10. Fuel Selector Screens (item 23, .PDF, 155 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201094&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2010.%20%20Fuel%20Selector%20Screens-Master.PDF - Photo 11. Fuel Selector Housings (item 24, .PDF, 139 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201095&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2011.%20%20Fuel%20Selector%20Housings-Master.PDF - Photo 12. Fuel Servo Screen (Left) (item 25, .PDF, 127 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201096&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%2012.%20%20Fuel%20Servo%20Screen%20(Left)-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.