Plane Went Down August 7, 2015, Four Fatally Injured

The NTSB has released a probable cause report from an accident that occurred August 7, 2015 that resulted in the fatal injury of all four people on board the aircraft.

According to the report, the private pilot, who was experienced flying the accident airplane ... a Piper PA-46-500TP ... was conducting a personal flight with three passengers on board the single-engine turboprop airplane. Earlier that day, the pilot flew uneventfully from his home airport ...Greater Rochester International Airport (KROC), Rochester, New York ... to Adirondack Regional Airport (KSLK), Saranac Lake, New York, about an hour from his home. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the planned return flight from KSLK to KROC.

Prior to the accident flight, the airplane was fueled with 44 gallons of Jet A aviation gasoline. The pilot then radioed flight service at 1734 and received his IFR clearance at 1744, which he read-back correctly. During the return flight, a witness, who was an airport employee, heard the pilot announce on the common traffic advisory frequency that the airplane was departing on runway 5. No further communications were received from the accident airplane and there were no eye witnesses to the accident. The accident airplane was subsequently located about 1830 in a wooded area approximately .5 mile northwest of the departure end of runway 5, by pilots in another airplane who observed smoke from a postcrash fire.

During takeoff for the return flight, the airplane impacted wooded terrain about 0.5 mile northwest of the departure end of the runway. There were no witnesses to the accident, but the pilot’s radio communications with flight service and on the common traffic advisory frequency were routine, and no distress calls were received. A postcrash fire consumed a majority of the wreckage, but no preimpact mechanical malfunctions were observed in the remaining wreckage.

Examination of the propeller revealed that the propeller reversing lever guide pin had been installed backward. Without the guide pin installed correctly, the reversing lever and carbon block could dislodge from the beta ring and result in the propeller blades traveling to an uncommanded feathered position. However, examination of the propeller components indicated that the carbon block was in place and that the propeller was in the normal operating range at the time of impact. Additionally, the airplane had been operated for about 9 months and 100 flight hours since the most recent annual inspection had been completed, which was the last time the propeller was removed from and reinstalled on the engine. Therefore, the improper installation of the propeller reversing lever guide pin likely did not cause the accident.

Review of the pilot’s autopsy report revealed that he had severe coronary artery disease with 70 to 80 percent stenosis of the right coronary artery, 80 percent stenosis of the left anterior descending artery, and mitral annular calcification. The severe coronary artery disease combined with the mitral annular calcification placed the pilot at high risk for an acute cardiac event such as angina, a heart attack, or an arrhythmia. Such an event would have caused sudden symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, or fainting/loss of consciousness and would not have left any specific evidence to be found during the autopsy. It is likely that the pilot was acutely impaired or incapacitated at the time of the accident due to an acute cardiac event, which resulted in his loss of airplane control.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be the pilot’s loss of airplane control during takeoff, which resulted from his impairment or incapacitation due to an acute cardiac event.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.nstb.gov