Synopsis
On July 25, 2015, at approximately 0910 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-38-112, Canadian registration C-GTAO, collided with terrain in Millbury, Ohio. The accident occurred during an attempted return to Toledo Executive Airport (TDZ) in Toledo, Ohio. The pilot, who was the sole occupant and operator under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, was seriously injured and died on August 5, 2015. The aircraft was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight originated from TDZ shortly before the accident, with an intended destination of the Region of Waterloo International Airport (CYKF) in Ontario, Canada.
After takeoff, the pilot contacted air traffic control and requested flight following. Shortly after radar contact, the pilot declared a mayday and stated he needed to return to the airport, indicating no assistance was required. The airplane impacted a cornfield approximately half a mile east of the approach end of runway 32 at TDZ.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and a third-class airman medical certificate issued on December 8, 2014, with a limitation for corrective lenses. A pilot logbook provided during the investigation began with 492 hours of flight time carried forward, starting June 10, 2009. The last entry was dated July 24, 2015, showing total flight time of 1,103.1 hours, of which 605 hours were in the accident aircraft. The pilot's most recent flight review was completed on January 19, 2015.
Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was a Piper PA-38-112, serial number 38-79A1002, a single-engine, two-place airplane with tricycle landing gear. It was powered by a 112-horsepower Lycoming O-235-L2C four-cylinder reciprocating engine, serial number L-19639-15, and equipped with a two-blade Sensenich model 72CK-O-56 propeller assembly. The aircraft had previously held German registration D-ETAV before October 2004.
The last annual inspection of the airframe and engine was completed on March 18, 2015, at a total time of 1,720.5 hours. The flight log indicated an aircraft total time of 1,745.6 hours the day before the accident. The hour meter read 1,097.3, and the tachometer recorded 312.5 at the time of the accident. The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was last checked on February 6, 2015, and was found in the armed position with a battery expiration date of April 2015. No ELT activation was reported following the accident.
This was the first flight after the fuel tanks were filled the previous day. Weight and balance calculations showed the airplane weighed approximately 29.5 pounds over its maximum allowable gross weight.
Meteorological Conditions
The Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) at TDZ, located about a mile from the accident site, reported at 0953: wind from 230 degrees at 11 knots; visibility 10 statute miles or greater; clear sky; temperature 26 degrees Celsius; dew point 17 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 29.97 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest in an open field with young corn crop. The empennage separated just aft of the cockpit area. The left wing sustained minor damage, while the right wing was partially separated at the fuselage, with the outboard section twisted upward and backward and the leading edge crushed. The engine cowling was crushed rearward, but the cockpit area remained intact.
Inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that flight controls remained attached with continuity established. The flaps were extended to the first notch. The propeller gear separated from the crankshaft. The oil dipstick was secured in the filler tube, which was broken at its base, indicating 4 quarts of oil in the engine. An oil film was present on the left and right cowl doors, right rear engine accessories, accessory cover, crankcase, battery box, and engine mount, but not on the windscreen or exterior fuselage.
Engine Examination
Fuel was present in the carburetor. The spark plugs were heavily fouled, with electrodes bridged. Manual rotation of the crankshaft revealed one cylinder with strong compression, one with minimal compression, and two with no compression. The No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve adjustment mechanism (jam nut and screw) was loose in the cylinder head cover. The No. 3 cylinder intake valve adjustment mechanism was backed off the rocker arm. The No. 4 cylinder intake valve adjustment mechanism jam nut was backed off, and the valve spring retainer was broken. The cylinder head gaskets on the No. 3 and No. 4 cylinders were puckered and leaking. Valve clearance and engine timing were out of tolerance.
Medical and Pathological Information
The pilot initially survived the accident but died on August 5, 2015. The National Transportation Safety Board was not immediately notified of the death, so no autopsy or toxicological tests were conducted.
Additional Information
Lycoming Service Instruction 1068A recommends checking tappet clearance every 100 hours of operation and torquing the jam nuts to 450 inch-pounds.