Accident Overview
On December 16, 2011, at approximately 1130 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-38-112, registration N9279T, experienced a loss of engine power and crashed during a forced landing near Merry Hill, North Carolina. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the non-certificated pilot/owner was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed. The personal flight originated from Plymouth Municipal Airport (PMZ) in Plymouth, North Carolina, at an unknown time and was destined for the pilot/owner's private strip. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Witness Account
According to witness statements provided to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the airplane was maneuvering at tree-top height toward an open field when the engine stopped producing power. The airplane then descended at a steep angle over the approach end of the field before colliding with terrain, nosing over, and coming to rest inverted.
Post-Accident Examination
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspectors examined the airplane at the accident site the day after the accident. Control continuity was established from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces, and no evidence of a preimpact mechanical anomaly was found with the aircraft structure, flight controls, or engine. The left fuel tank was selected on the fuel selector, and no fuel was found in the left tank. There was no odor of fuel and no fuel staining around the tank. The right fuel tank was also empty, but some fuel blighting of the vegetation beneath the right fuel cap was observed.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot/owner did not hold a pilot certificate. His most recent application for an FAA medical certificate was dated January 22, 1997, at which time he was issued a student pilot certificate that expired on January 31, 1999, according to FAA records. The pilot could not be interviewed for several months due to his injuries, and attempts to contact him after he returned home from the hospital were unsuccessful.
According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1978 and registered to the pilot on January 21, 1997. It was a two-seat, low-wing, fixed-gear airplane equipped with a Lycoming O-235, 115-horsepower engine. The airplane's maintenance records were not recovered. The tachometer showed 3,847 aircraft hours at the accident site.