ERA21FA133

The purpose of the flight was a pre-sale demonstration of the airplane with the owner/seller in the right seat, and the potential buyer in the left seat. The pilots performed one touch-and-go landing, then the airplane impacted terrain on the downwind leg of the subsequent traffic pattern. The owner told first responders that the airplane had lost engine power. The airplane was consumed by a postcrash fire, which resulted in extensive damage to the airframe and engine. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel selector was in the “off” position. There were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane or engine, and the reason for the loss of engine power was not determined. The owner’s postaccident toxicology was positive for gabapentin, which can cause dizziness; however, he reported no side effects from use of this medication, and it is unlikely that his use of gabapentin contributed to the accident.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 20, 2021, about 1748 central standard time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T, N10KV, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Vinemont, Alabama. The two pilots were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Family members of the left seat pilot reported that the pilot was interested in buying the airplane, and the purpose of the flight was a pre-sale demonstration of the airplane by the owner/seller. According to airport surveillance video, the airplane took off from runway 02 about 1740, completed one touch-and-go landing at 1746, then impacted terrain on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at 1748. A first responder to the accident reported that the owner stated that “they lost power and went down.” The owner succumbed to his injuries two days after the accident. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The left seat pilot’s logbook was not recovered. His pilot certificate was suspended in 1993, then revoked in 2006. On the application for his most recent medical certificate, dated October 6, 2020, he reported 1,000 total hours of flight experience. The owner recorded 12 flight hours in the accident airplane since he purchased it in 2015. On the application for his most recent medical certificate, dated February 18, 2015, he reported 7,000 total hours of flight experience. The application was denied; his previous medical certificate expired in 2009. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION Review of maintenance records revealed that the airplane received regular maintenance until 2015, when it was purchased by the owner. In January 2019, the airplane was deemed unairworthy, and a 9-page discrepancy list was provided detailing the reasons it was unairworthy. The logbook entry that declared the airplane unairworthy had been torn out of the logbook and found in a side pouch of the bag containing the maintenance records. The first completed annual inspection since 2016 was completed in January 2021. The airplane had accumulated about 85 flight hours during that time. Also found were work orders for a propeller overhaul following a ground strike, but there were no entries in the propeller logbook regarding the ground strike and subsequent overhaul. There was no logbook entry of compliance with airworthiness directive (AD) 2004-10-14, which required an inspection of the crankshaft gear and replacement of the gear retaining bolt and lockplate following a propeller ground strike. Airport fueling records showed the owner purchased fuel from the self-serve fuel pumps twice in the 60 days before the accident. He purchased 19 gallons of fuel on December 30, 2020, and 24 gallons on January 29th. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION WRECKAGE INFORMATION The airplane impacted a wooded area on a residential property at an elevation of 930 ft mean sea level (msl). The wreckage debris path was about 350 ft long and oriented on a magnetic heading of 130°. The airplane came to rest inverted and a postimpactfire consumed most of the wreckage. All major components of the wreckage were located at the accident site. Flight control cable continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to the stabilator and rudder. The aileron cables remained attached to the forward cockpit chain segment and were continuous to the bellcranks in each wing. The turnbuckle at the center of the forward aileron chain segment and the turnbuckle in the center of the aileron balance cable were both fractured at their mid points. The flap selector handle was observed in the first detent position consistent with a 10° flap setting. The fuel selector valve was found in the “OFF” position. The engine was partially separated from the airframe and sustained impact and fire damage. All three propeller blades remained attached to the crankshaft propeller flange. Manual rotation of the engine via the propeller revealed it would not rotate. Examination of the accessory gearbox revealed a broken crankshaft gear tooth was lodged between the camshaft and accessory gear drive. When the tooth was removed, the engine rotated freely, and valve train continuity and cylinder compression were established for each cylinder. The fractured gear tooth was sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination. The fracture surface was consistent with overstress during the impact sequence. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION The owner’s most recent medical certification exam took place in February 2015; however, his medical certificate was denied for an unspecified condition that was treated with gabapentin. According to postaccident medical records, the copilot received second and third degree burns over about 60% of his body and died two days after his admission to the hospital; an autopsy was not performed. The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified gabapentin at 1,775 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) in the copilot’s hospital admission blood. Gabapentin, commonly marketed as Neurontin, is an antiseizure medication that is also used to treat chronic nerve pain. It carries a warning that it “may cause dizziness, somnolence and other symptoms and signs of central nervous system depression” and patients should be advised not to operate complex machinery “until they have gained sufficient experience on gabapentin to assess whether gabapentin impairs their ability to perform such tasks.”