History of Flight
On May 5, 2019, about 0830 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-220T airplane, N999CR, impacted terrain shortly after departing runway 36 at Anderson Municipal Airport-Darlington Field (AID), Anderson, Indiana. The pilot received serious injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by SPC Leasing, LLC, as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Several witnesses saw the airplane airborne after its departure. A couple of witnesses reported that the airplane engines didn't sound "normal". Several witnesses reported the airplane appeared to pitch up before stalling.
A review of airport security video capturing the departure revealed that the airplane appeared to climb steeply and the wings rocked back-and-forth before disappearing out of view. When the airplane reappeared, it was in a descent with the left wing low. The airplane impacted terrain and came to rest facing opposite the direction of travel.
Aircraft Information
A review of maintenance records revealed that the airplane's last annual inspection was conducted on July 7, 2017. The purpose of the flight was to ferry the airplane to Huntington Municipal Airport (HHG) to have an annual inspection completed. The airplane was issued a temporary ferry permit on February 22, 2019, valid for 10 days, to relocate the airplane to HHG.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The front of the airplane cabin/cockpit area was destroyed by impact, and major components were located at the crash site. The outer section of the left wing was located near the initial impact point; the remaining part of the left wing was attached to the fuselage by electrical wires. The right wing remained attached. There was no post-crash fire.
Control cable continuity was established from the cockpit to the stabilator and rudder. Aileron cable continuity was continuous from the cockpit to the right aileron. The left aileron cable and balance cable had separated inside the cabin, exhibiting "broomstraw" signatures consistent with tension overload.
The flap actuator screw position corresponded to a 0° (flaps retracted) setting. Fuel valves in each wing were in the "on" position. Electric fuel pumps were connected to a battery and tested for operation. An estimated 35 to 40 gallons of fuel was recovered from the right-wing fuel tanks. The left fuel tanks appeared to have been breached during the accident; a fuel smell was present on site. The landing gear handle and gear were in the "up" or retracted position.
The rudder trim actuator screw corresponded to a partial tab deflection to the right (aircraft nose left) setting. The stabilator trim actuator screw was extended about 0.5 inch aft from the barrel, corresponding to a nose up trim setting and 0.05 from maximum travel. Inspection of the pilot's pitch trim indicator revealed a slight nose up indication. The examination was unable to determine if the indicator was mis-rigged or damaged during the accident sequence.
A visual survey of the right engine did not reveal pre-impact abnormalities; however, the crankshaft flange was fracture separated. The vacuum pump was removed, and an adapter was placed in the vacuum pump drive pad to facilitate rotation of the crankshaft. Compression and suction were obtained for all cylinders at the top spark plug openings while the crankshaft was rotated. Internal engine continuity was confirmed through the valve train and to the accessory section. Both magnetos were manually rotated, and a spark was observed from each ignition lead. The engine-driven fuel pump was intact, and the drive shaft rotated normally when operated by hand. The turbocharger rotated freely. The top set of spark plugs were removed and exhibited dark colored combustion deposits and "normal – worn" electrodes per the Champion Check a Plug guide.
The right engine's 3-bladed propeller had separated from the engine and was found in the wreckage path but remained attached to the crankshaft propeller flange. All three blades remained captured in the hub; two blades exhibited bending and twisting.
A visual survey of the left engine did not reveal pre-impact abnormalities, and the propeller remained attached. The vacuum pump was removed, and an adapter was placed in the vacuum pump drive pad to facilitate rotation. Compression/suction was observed on all cylinders at the top spark plug openings. Internal engine continuity was confirmed. Ignition spark was observed on each lead from both magnetos. The engine-driven fuel pump was intact and the drive shaft rotated normally. The turbocharger did not rotate freely when turned by hand; the resistance was attributed to impact. The top spark plugs exhibited black colored combustion deposits and "normal – worn" electrodes.
The left engine's 3-bladed propeller remained attached. One blade was fractured and separated chordwise about 6 inches from the hub; the outer section was located in the debris field. The second blade was bent aft and rotated beyond normal limits in the hub. The third blade exhibited aft bending.
The airplane was equipped with a Digital Display Monitor Panel (DDMP), which was removed and sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory for download. The unit did not contain non-volatile memory pertinent to the accident flight.
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the pilot's seat position. The seat appeared to be locked in the 3rd (forward) position and captured there by deformation of the cabin fuselage.
The NTSB investigator-in-charge and a technical representative from the engine manufacturer conducted a functional test of the left engine in a test cell. To run the engine, several damaged items had to be replaced or repaired, including: engine mounts, oil cooler, No. 6 valve cover, No. 6 ignition lead repaired, and the left magneto retimed from 50° before top dead center (BTDC) to match the right magneto at 26° BTDC. A test propeller, exhaust system, and waste gate controller were also installed. The engine started but did not produce full rated horsepower and on occasions produced black exhaust. An exemplar fuel servo was installed and adjusted; the engine then produced rated horsepower. Examination of the original fuel servo revealed that the fuel servo's control linkage (rod and link assembly) was installed incorrectly.