Accident Sequence
On September 17, 2019, at about 1800 eastern daylight time, a Socata Tampico TB9C, registration N2824R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Meade, Maryland. The flight instructor was not injured, and the student pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was being operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight.
According to the flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was to conduct practice takeoffs and landings. After a preflight inspection and normal engine run-up, the airplane took off and remained in the airport traffic pattern. While on the downwind leg, the student completed the before-landing checklist. The flight instructor observed that the engine rpm was low and applied additional power, but engine power continued to decay. The instructor took control from the student and turned the airplane toward the base leg for runway 10. He switched fuel tanks and turned off the carburetor heat in an attempt to restore engine power, but these actions had no effect. The airplane descended into trees under partial power and came to rest in the treetops about 75 feet above the ground, resulting in substantial damage to both wings.
Post-Accident Examination
An examination of the engine was conducted. The engine spark plugs were removed; the top electrodes were gray in color and exhibited normal wear signatures. The bottom plugs were darker than the top spark plugs and were oil-soaked. The wires to the No. 1 and No. 3 cylinder top spark plugs were broken but produced a spark when the engine was manually rotated. All other spark plug wires produced spark when the engine was rotated. Valve train continuity was established, and compression was observed on all cylinders during engine rotation. An undetermined amount of oil was observed in the oil sump. The carburetor was clear of debris. The intake scat tubing was found crushed on the airframe side. The airframe scat tubing fiberglass connection side was also found crushed. Examination of the interior of the scat tubing revealed that the inner layer of the tubing had collapsed. The examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.