Accident Overview
On August 27, 2020, at approximately 1154 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA28R-200, registration N9341N, sustained substantial damage during an accident near Fletcher, North Carolina. The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The flight was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Flight Details
The pilot departed Air Harbor Airport (W88) in Greensboro, North Carolina, around 0930. The flight to Six Oaks Airport (NC67) in Fletcher, North Carolina, took about an hour and a half and was described as uneventful. After dropping off items at NC67, the pilot and passenger boarded for departure. The property owner advised taking off from runway 06, a 2,600-foot turf strip, due to obstacles off the reciprocal runway. Winds were light and variable. The pilot noted the turf was soft from recent rainfall but appeared solid. A pre-takeoff engine run-up showed no anomalies, and flaps were set to 25° for a soft-field takeoff.
Accident Sequence
Upon applying full throttle, the pilot noticed slow acceleration, attributed to the soft turf. As airspeed reached 55-60 knots, a soft-field takeoff was performed. In ground effect, the airplane failed to accelerate. The pilot raised the landing gear to improve performance, but the airplane began to settle. The pilot stated the engine "was not making power." The aircraft descended into a corn field, impacting the ground about 500 feet from the departure end of runway 06, causing substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Before egressing, the pilot turned the fuel selector to OFF and switched all switches off.
Engine and Fuel System Examination
Post-accident examination of the engine revealed crankshaft and valvetrain continuity, magneto spark on all leads, thumb compression on all cylinders, and correct magneto timing. Fuel lines to the engine-driven pump contained no fuel, and the fuel flow divider, fuel servo, and gascolator were dry. Both electric and engine-driven fuel pumps operated normally when tested. After re-plumbing fuel to the engine, it started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously for 8 minutes at 2,500 rpm before the fuel selector was turned off.
Recovery personnel reported draining fuel from the fuel tanks during recovery without turning off the fuel selector. No debris was noted in the drained fuel.
Weather Conditions
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) CE-09-35 icing probability chart, weather conditions at the time were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power.