Accident Overview
On March 17, 2010, at approximately 1100 Pacific daylight time, a Piper Arrow PA-28R-200, registration N1KU, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Eliza Island, Washington. The private pilot/owner and a pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions. The local maintenance test flight had been airborne for about 15 minutes, having departed from Bellingham, Washington. No flight plan was filed.
Flight Details
The pilot/owner stated that the airplane had recently undergone its annual inspection, signed off on February 24, 2010. Due to weather and other commitments, the maintenance flight was delayed until March 17. On that day, he invited a fellow pilot (also a flight instructor) to join him. During an extensive preflight, the engine crankcase contained 7 quarts of oil. Engine start and taxi were normal; the before-takeoff run-up was "a bit longer than usual," allowing confirmation of good oil pressure. Magnetos checked normal, and the propeller cycled normally.
After takeoff, the pilot/owner climbed to 4,800 feet. About 8 to 10 minutes into the flight, the propeller went to low pitch and the engine to high rpm, and the propeller did not respond to the propeller control. The pilot/owner selected a forced landing spot—a grass strip on a small island. The engine began making metal grinding noises and vibrating heavily, then froze, and the propeller stopped. The pilot-rated passenger took control and performed the forced landing. During the descent, the airplane's automatic landing gear extension system lowered the gear earlier than intended.
Forced Landing and Damage
The airplane landed short of the runway and struck a 3-foot-high beach piling with its right wing root. The fuselage was twisted, and both wings were bent and wrinkled. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination of the engine revealed that the crankcase was cracked and the bottom of the fuselage was covered with oil. After recovery to a salvage yard, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator examined the engine on April 7, 2010. The investigator found that the fitting attaching the propeller governor high-pressure oil line from the nose of the crankcase to the propeller governor was loose. Maintenance records indicated that during the annual inspection, the propeller governor on the engine's accessory section had been removed to replace its gasket.