NYC00FA248

The airplane was headed southwest, level at 8,000 feet, either in, or above instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot was instructed to change radio frequency, and after he checked in with the next sector controller, no further transmissions were heard from him. The airplane descended to 7,400 feet, then climbed to 8,500 feet over a period of 4 minutes. It remained at 8,500 feet for about a minute, then descended to and maintained between 8,100 and 8,200 feet for another minute. The airplane then made a descending turn to the right, with rates of descent up to approximately 16,000 feet per minute. The wreckage path was 1,900 feet in length, and began with parts from the airplane's tail section. About 500 feet from the beginning, was a section of the right wing, and 400 feet beyond that, the entire left wing. The stabilator spar and left wing separations exhibited downwards bending. The airplane was equipped with a vacuum-driven attitude indicator (AI) and directional gyro (DG). It also had a standby vacuum system, which required a reduction of power to properly operate. One low-vacuum annunciator light exhibited filament characteristics consistent with its being lit at the time of the accident. The other light was a diode-type, and could only be/was tested as operational. Post-accident examination found that the vacuum pump flex coupling was sheared, and the vacuum-driven instruments did not exhibit any rotational scoring. The vacuum pump coupling was manufactured in 1979. The manufacturer recommended changing the coupling every 6 years. There was no regulatory requirement to change the coupling, nor was there any regulatory requirement for redundant systems in case of vacuum system failure.

History of flight

On September 3, 2000, at 1346 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-301, Saratoga SP, N8230G, was destroyed during an in-flight breakup over South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The certificated private pilot, the pilot-rated passenger, and another passenger and her dog were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight, between Chatham Municipal Airport (CQX), Chatham, Massachusetts, and Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the flight departed Chatham about 1305, and was level at 8,000 feet when the pilot contacted Providence Approach Control at 1329. During that contact, the controller asked the pilot if he would like a more southerly routing, and the pilot responded that he would. About a minute later, the controller gave the pilot new routing, and the pilot read back the clearance. At 1337, the controller told the pilot to change to another radio frequency, and at 1338, the pilot checked in with the next sector's controller. No further transmissions were received from the pilot; however, a sound similar to that of an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was heard in the background when the controller spoke to another aircraft at 1346. During a review of the air traffic control audio tape, no unusual background sounds were heard during the pilot's transmissions, and the pilot never advised the controllers of any difficulties.

A witness on the ground, a former Navy pilot, stated that he was out in the yard, less than a mile away from the accident site at the time of the accident. There was an overcast sky, about 100-200 feet above the ground, and the winds were "pretty near calm."

Although the witness did not see the airplane, his attention was drawn to it because of a sound, which was similar to the pilot increasing the prop to full rpm. The sound came from about 45 degrees above the horizon, but there was no doppler shift, and the airplane didn't sound as if it was circling or spinning. The sound's bearing did not change, but its azimuth decreased.

The witness then heard a "pop," and another sound, like "something was coming off of the airplane." He heard the engine "rev up," followed shortly thereafter by silence for about 5 seconds, then the sound of an impact.

The witness also noted that when he heard the engine, it was running smoothly and was not sputtering.

According to transponder and radar information, the airplane was level at 8,000 feet, proceeding southwest, then made a turn to the west at 1342. About a minute later, it turned back toward the southwest. Around 1345, the airplane began a turn to the right, which continued through about 270 degrees of arc. It then turned back to the left for about 30 degrees, and remained headed eastbound for about 15 seconds before radar contact was lost.

Altitude information indicated that the airplane had maintained 8,000 feet until 1335:21, when it began a descent. It leveled off at 7,400 feet at 1337:21, then began a climb, and reached 8,500 feet at 1341:12. It maintained 8,500 feet for about a minute, then descended to 8,200 feet, and maintained between 8,200 feet and 8,100 feet until 1345:26. At 1345:30, the airplane was at 8,000 feet. At 1345:39, it was at 7,800 feet, and at 1345:48, at 7,000 feet. Additional altitude readouts were: 6,200 feet at 1345:53; 3,800 feet at 1346:02; and 1,900 feet 1346:12.

Correlating approximate altitude and heading information, the airplane began to descend shortly after beginning its 270-degree turn to the right. It passed through 7,000 feet just before reaching 180 degrees of turn, and was at 5,200 feet when it passed through 270 degrees. The first 180 degrees of turn were completed in about 30 seconds, while the last 90 degrees were completed in about 7 seconds. Approximate rates of descent were calculated as follows: between 8,000 and 7,800 feet: 1,300 feet per minute (fpm); between 7,800 and 7,000 feet: 5,300 fpm; between 7,000 and 6,200 feet: 9,600 fpm; between 6,200 and 3,800 feet: 16,000 fpm; between 3,800 and 1,900 feet: 11,400 fpm.

The accident occurred during daylight hours, and the main wreckage was located at 41 degrees, 26.25 minutes north latitude, 71 degrees, 32.51 minutes west longitude.

Personnel information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate, was rated in single engine land airplanes, and held an instrument-airplane rating. His latest FAA second class medical certificate was dated December 9, 1997.

The pilot's partially recovered logbook listed 1,291 total hours of flight time as of August 13, 2000. The pilot also recorded 195 hours of actual instrument time and 127 hours of simulated instrument time. All flights listed in that logbook, which began in late 1997, were flown in the accident airplane. The pilot completed a flight review and an instrument proficiency check on April 17, 2000.

According to training records, the pilot received training at Recurrent Training Center, Inc., Savoy, Illinois, in September 1998. At the time, he reported 1,170 hours of flight time, with 168 total instrument hours and 824 hours in the accident airplane. Training sheets from that time indicated that the pilot completed four simulator flights, but there was nothing noted regarding partial panel training.

According to additional training records, the pilot also attended training at Aviation Training Management, Inc., Vero Beach, Florida, in April 2000. He received 6.7 hours of training, including partial panel (IFR) training.

The pilot-rated passenger held a private pilot certificate, was rated in single engine land airplanes, and held an instrument-airplane rating. She reportedly had not been actively flying for a number of years. Her latest FAA third class medical certificate was dated July 31, 1986.

Meteorological information

About the time of the accident, an airport approximately 10 nautical miles to the northeast reported calm winds, visibility 2 statute miles, mist, temperature 74 degrees Fahrenheit, dewpoint missing, ceiling 500 feet above the ground, and an altimeter setting of 29.95 inches.

A pilot who departed Providence at 1410, reported that he was "skimming" cloud tops while proceeding southward at 5,000 feet. He also reported that he entered a cloud buildup around 1415, about 12-15 miles south of Providence, and remained in it for about 5 minutes. Conditions inside the buildup included heavy rain and moderate turbulence, which was "uncomfortable but not severe."

A radar image taken 16 minutes before the accident revealed light to moderate precipitation along the southern Rhode Island coastline, but nothing in the vicinity of the accident.

Aircraft information

The Piper Saratoga was constructed in 1980, and powered by a Lycoming IO-540 engine. According to the airplane's registration certificate, the pilot had owned it since February 1984.

Maintenance logbooks were not located. According to work orders, the last annual inspection was completed on December 7, 1999. At the time, the hour meter indicated 1,458.6 hours.

The airplane was equipped with a Parker Hannifin Airborne model 211CC dry air pump and a Precise Flight, Inc. standby vacuum system.

Wreckage and impact information

The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage forward of the aft-most seats, including the engine and propeller, parts of the right wing, and both passenger doors. The wreckage was located in a small clearing only slightly larger than the airplane, and there was almost no damage to any of the surrounding trees. The main fuselage was pointed toward 130 degrees magnetic, and the engine compartment was still attached, but offset to the left, about 20 degrees.

About 1,900 feet directly no