WPR21LA220

On a personal cross-country flight, during cruise, the pilot noted an increase in oil temperature. He made the decision to divert to a nearby airport that was about 3 nautical miles (nm) away. As the pilot made the turn back to the airport, the engine lost total power. During the descent he made several unsuccessful attempts to restart the engine. He did not recall lowering the landing gear but determined that it was safe to do so. He did not lower the flaps or turn on the carburetor heat. About 500 ft above ground level (agl), he realized that he was not going to make the runway and elected to make a forced landing to the surrounding area. During the landing sequence, the airplane impacted a berm and a fence post before it came to rest about 100 ft short of the runway. Postaccident engine examination revealed no evidence of preaccident mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.

On May 29, 2021, about 1247 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-24, N6334P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Paris, Idaho. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, the flight departed from South Valley Regional Airport (U42), Salt Lake City, Utah, with an intended destination to Jackson Hole Airport (KJAC), Jackson, Wyoming. The pilot had the airplane’s fuel tanks topped off at U42 on the day of the accident flight. The preflight, engine start and run up, and departure were normal; they departed from U42 at 1122. The pilot reported that during the flight he navigated around Class B airspace. Near the Primary Childrens Medical Center Heliport (UT08), Salt Lake City, Utah, he contacted Salt Lake Center and requested flight following and activated his previously filed flight plan. The pilot reported that he climbed to his filed flight plan altitude of 9,500 ft mean sea level (msl). Due to turbulence, the flight further climbed to 11,500 ft msl for a brief period; however, due to turbulence, the flight descended back to 9,500 ft msl. The pilot reported that the flight was uneventful, and all engine gauges were normal and in the green, including the oil pressure and temperature. Shortly after passing Bear Lake County Airport (1U7), Paris, Idaho, the engine oil temperature gauge was “registering too high,” but the oil pressure gauge was still in the green. The pilot elected to divert to 1U7 to have the engine inspected. About halfway through the turn toward 1U7, which was about 3 nm away, the engine sustained a total loss of power. The pilot reported that he did not recall the engine surging, just an “immediate drop of RPM and oil pressure.” The propeller continued to turn, but the engine would not engage. The pilot pulled back on the yoke and trimmed for best glide airspeed, which he estimated to be 75 knots. He made several unsuccessful attempts to restart the engine. The pilot stated that he did not remember at what point he lowered the landing gear, but he did recall waiting until he was comfortable lowering the landing gear as part of his final landing “GUMP” checklist. He stated that he did not lower the flaps or activate carburetor heat. About 500 ft agl, he realized the airplane would not make it to the runway. During touchdown, the airplane impacted a berm and fence posts, and came to rest about 100 ft short of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The engine’s crankshaft was rotated by hand utilizing the propeller and mechanical continuity was established throughout the rotating group, valve train, and accessory gear section. Examination of the cylinders with a lighted borescope revealed no anomalies. The magnetos were removed, and manual rotation produced spark at each lead. The fuel pump was internally intact and free of damage. The air inductionlines were free of obstruction. Examination and disassembly of the carburetor revealed no anomalies. Postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal evidence of any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.