History of Flight
On October 13, 2015, about 1733 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, registration N57312, impacted a residential area in Lake Worth, Florida, while on approach to Palm Beach County Park-Lantana Airport (LNA). The aircraft was destroyed by postimpact fire. The private pilot and one person on the ground sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was owned by Flyers Inc. and operated by a private individual under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) with an intended destination of LNA.
Fueling records showed the airplane was topped off with 20 gallons of 100-low-lead aviation gasoline before departure. The pilot received flight-following services from air traffic control. Review of airport common traffic advisory frequency recordings revealed the pilot stated he was 3 miles east of the airport and would enter a midfield left downwind for runway 15, then reported turning left base. No further communications were received. Radar data from the FAA showed a target correlated to the accident airplane passing the runway extended centerline and making an S-turn before radar coverage was lost.
Pilot Information
FAA records indicate the pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, issued May 4, 2012. He held a third-class medical certificate issued September 23, 2015, at which time he was 66 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds. He reported treatment for kidney stones, laceration repair, hernia surgery, and various minor ailments, as well as testosterone use for low testosterone. The medical certificate required corrective lenses for distant vision and glasses available for near vision. At the time of the examination, he reported 250 hours of total flight time.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, low-wing, fixed-tricycle-gear airplane, serial number 28-7405042, was manufactured in 1973. It was powered by a Lycoming O-360, 180-horsepower engine and equipped with a two-bladed, fixed-pitch Sensenich propeller. Maintenance records show the most recent annual inspection on May 25, 2015, at which time the airframe had 6,199 total flight hours and the engine had 1,320 hours since major overhaul.
Meteorological Information
The 1753 recorded weather observation at West Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), about 4.5 miles north of the accident site, included wind from 140° at 13 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 5,000 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet, temperature 28°C, dew point 21°C, and altimeter 29.91 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage was examined at the accident site and at a recovery facility. No readable cockpit instruments were recovered. Aileron control continuity was established from the control chain via cables to their respective bellcranks, but cables had separated with broomstraw ends and bellcranks had separated from wings. Rudder control continuity was confirmed from the rudder horn to the rudder bar. Stabilator control continuity was confirmed from the 'T' bar to the balance weight. The stabilator trim system was not recovered, presumed destroyed by fire.
The two-bladed propeller remained attached to the engine. One blade was bent aft, partially melted, with leading edge nicks; the outboard half of the other blade was consumed by fire. Top spark plugs were removed, and the propeller was rotated by hand. Camshaft and crankshaft continuity to the rear accessory section was confirmed, and valve train continuity was confirmed to cylinders 1 and 3 through rotation; continuity to cylinders 2 and 4 was confirmed by visual inspection due to impact and thermal damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Office of the Medical Examiner in West Palm Beach performed an autopsy on the pilot, which found multiple blunt force trauma and thermal injuries. The autopsy also identified heart enlargement, wall thickening, diffuse coronary artery disease with 75% stenosis in the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries and 25% stenosis of the left main and left circumflex coronary arteries, and mild calcification of the mitral valve leaflets. Toxicology testing by the FAA detected greater than 10% carbon monoxide in blood (heart) and greater than 2.51 ug/ml cyanide in blood (heart).