History of Flight
On June 30, 2012, at approximately 1620 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-31P, registration N33CG, collided with terrain while descending after a loss of power in one engine shortly after takeoff from Dalton Municipal Airport (DNN), Dalton, Georgia. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage due to impact forces and postcrash fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight, conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, originated from DNN at 1615.
According to a friend of the pilot, the pilot was en route to Douglas Municipal Airport (DQH), Douglas, Georgia, for an annual inspection. The friend observed the departure and noted no anomalies during takeoff or climbout. Witnesses reported hearing an airplane approaching low, with one witness seeing it about 200 feet over his house, descending toward trees. They observed that the right propeller was not turning and the left engine seemed at full power. The airplane pitched up to avoid a power line, rolled right, and descended below the tree line, followed by smoke and an explosion.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 52, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land and multi-engine land with an instrument rating, issued August 8, 1998. He also held a third-class airman medical certificate issued on May 1, 2012, with corrective lens limitations. According to the pilot's logbook, he had accrued 1,614 flight hours as pilot-in-command, including 1,132 multi-engine hours as of June 16, 2012. In the six years preceding the accident, he had logged 155 multi-engine flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The six-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number 31P-7300157, was manufactured in 1973. It was powered by two Lycoming TIGO-541-E1A engines, each rated at 310 horsepower, equipped with Hartzell HC-C3YN-2LUF hubs and FJC9684-3R three-blade, single-acting, hydraulically operated constant-speed propellers with feathering capability. The propellers use oil pressure to move blades to low pitch, and springs, counterweights, and air charge to move them to high pitch/feather. A start lock mechanism holds blades at low pitch during engine start. Propeller rotation is counterclockwise as viewed from the rear.
Maintenance records showed an annual inspection was completed on June 18, 2011, at a Hobbs reading of 981.5 hours and airframe total time of 4,445.6 hours. The left engine had been overhauled on November 10, 1998, with 580.8 hours since major overhaul as of June 18, 2011. The right engine had been overhauled on October 28, 1988, with 1,435 hours since major overhaul. According to Lycoming service instruction No. 1009AS, overhaul is recommended at 1,200 hours or every 12th year. The tachometer and Hobbs hour-meter were not observed at the accident site.
The airport manager at Taylor County Airport, Campbellsville, Kentucky, reported that the pilot took on fuel on June 24, 2012, but the amount was not recorded. The pilot did not refuel at DNN on the day of the flight. Video footage showed a normal climbout before the accident.
Meteorological Information
Weather reported at DNN, about 2 miles east of the accident site at an elevation of 709 feet, at 1615, included calm winds, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 39°C, dew point 15°C, and altimeter 29.87 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was about 2 miles west of runway 14 in a wooded area with tree heights up to about 80 feet. The airplane came to rest upright on a course of about 102 degrees. The cockpit, cabin, and forward structures were fire-damaged. Tree strikes were observed about 50 feet above ground south of the main wreckage. All major components were accounted for. Flight control continuity could not be manipulated but was verified to respective surfaces. The instrument panel was destroyed. The engine power controls quadrant was separated. Preimpact positions could not be reliably determined.
Fuel selector valves were heat-damaged; preimpact positions could not be determined. The landing gear and flap selectors were in the up position. The left and right wings were separated from the fuselage and destroyed by fire. All fuel tanks were breached and destroyed. Fuel caps appeared closed and locked. Aileron cables were traced from overload separations. The right propeller blades were bent without rotational scoring, with one preload plate mark indicating a blade angle of approximately 23 degrees, consistent with the start lock position. The left propeller assembly showed damage consistent with power-on rotation at impact, but no anomalies were noted. Both engines were examined; no preimpact anomalies were found. The right engine had no fuel in its system; the left engine could not be rotated due to fire damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted by the Division of Forensic Sciences, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, determined the cause of death as blunt force injuries. Toxicological testing by the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute detected no carbon monoxide, cyanide, or ethanol in the blood. Acetaminophen was detected in blood at 10.18 µg/ml. Dihydrocodeine was detected in the liver at 0.079 µg/g but not in blood. Hydrocodone was detected in the liver at 0.195 µg/g and in blood at 0.079 µg/ml.
Additional Information
Review of the pilot operating handbook (revision December 4, 1981) revealed that the Emergency Procedures section did not include feathering procedures or engine securing procedures for various engine failure scenarios. The latest revision (November 1, 2001) also did not mention feathering propellers before 1,000 rpm minimum.