Accident Details
On February 26, 2019, at about 1835 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-181, registration N2184X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Louisville, Kentucky. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to the pilot, after a preflight inspection, he taxied to the active runway for departure. He conducted an engine run-up and pretakeoff checklist with no anomalies. Cleared for takeoff, he advanced the throttle and began the takeoff roll. As the airplane accelerated through 60 knots and became airborne, the engine started to run rough. He elected to land straight ahead on the remaining runway. The airplane overran the runway and collided with the perimeter fence.
Examination Findings
An examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left wing was broken away from the fuselage. The outboard section of the right wing, including the aileron, was broken away from the wing assembly. The vertical stabilizer was also separated from the empennage.
During engine examination, the propeller was rotated through 360° and spark was noted at each spark lead. The left magneto was removed; two ignition wires in the distributor cap showed evidence of arcing, and one ignition lead was found detached from the insulator and spring. The right magneto was removed and rotated, producing spark at each lead, but the metal copper electrode on the right magneto distributor gear was found loose.
Service Bulletin Information
Slick/Champion Aerospace Service Bulletin (SB) 1-15A, issued July 2, 2015, and revised November 12, 2018, indicated a potential decreased service life of Slick 4-cylinder magneto distributor gear assemblies. Typical symptoms include unusual rpm drops during magneto check, difficulty starting, or rough running engines. The SB called for replacing affected distributor gear assemblies with copper electrodes with assemblies incorporating a Monel distributor gear electrode.
The accident airplane's engine was equipped with magnetos serial numbers 4370 and 4371, which are within the range of affected magnetos listed in the SB. A review of maintenance logbooks revealed an entry dated February 29, 2016, for an excessive rpm drop of the right magneto during run-up. No logbook entries were noted for repair of the magnetos or compliance with SB 1-15A. The airplane received three annual inspections after the SB's release and revision.