Accident Summary
On October 3, 2018, about 1730 central daylight time, a Piper PA-24-180, N8371P, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power after takeoff from Smithville Municipal Airport (0A3), Smithville, Tennessee. The private pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was privately owned and operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight.
According to the pilot, due to the absence of a taxiway at 0A3, he was delayed about 10 minutes by traffic before back-taxiing to the run-up area for takeoff from runway 24. The engine run-up and takeoff roll were completed with no anomalies noted. After liftoff, the pilot retracted the landing gear. During initial climb, at about 300 feet above the runway, the engine stopped producing power, but the propeller continued to windmill. The pilot reported no time for remedial actions, lowered the landing gear, and touched down on the remaining runway. The airplane overran the departure end, traveled down an embankment, crossed a road, and came to rest upright in low brush.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on April 25, 2012, and his most recent FAA Basic Medical was issued on May 1, 2017. The pilot's logbook showed 834 total hours of flight experience, with 431 hours in the accident airplane make and model.
The four-seat, single-engine, low-wing airplane with retractable landing gear was manufactured in 1964 and powered by a Lycoming O-360 engine rated at 180 horsepower. Its most recent annual inspection was completed on October 1, 2018, at 2,840 aircraft hours. The engine had 2,840 total hours of operation, of which 1,200 hours were since its last major overhaul. The accident flight was the first flight following the annual inspection.
Examination Findings
The FAA inspector reported the airplane came to rest upright 384 feet beyond the departure end of runway 24. The aircraft remained intact, but the aft fuselage was fractured and twisted, and the left aileron was bent. All three propeller blades exhibited twisting, tip curl, and chordwise scratching. Fuel was present in both wing tanks and appeared absent of water and debris.
The engine and accessories were examined under FAA supervision. Spark plugs were removed with no anomalies. Rotating crankshaft produced compression on all cylinders, and normal valvetrain movement was observed. Borescope examination of cylinders revealed no damage. Fuel was present throughout the fuel system, carburetor, and fuel filters, absent of water and debris. The engine-driven fuel pump functioned normally when actuated by hand. Engine oil, oil filter, and oil pickup screen were absent of debris. Both magnetos produced spark at all towers when rotated with a drill.
Weather Conditions
At 1735, weather reported at Upper Cumberland Regional Airport (SRB), about 14 miles east, included wind from 200° at 4 knots, visibility of 5 miles with haze, few clouds at 4,400 feet, temperature 28°C, dew point 21°C, and altimeter setting 30.06 inches of mercury. Calculated relative humidity was 65%.
According to an FAA Icing Probability Chart, the atmospheric conditions were "conducive to serious icing at glide [idle] power." FAA Advisory Circular 20-113 recommends that pilots regularly use carburetor heat under conditions known to be conducive to atmospheric icing and remain alert for indications of induction system icing during takeoff and climb-out, especially when relative humidity is above 50% or visible moisture is present.