History of Flight
On October 22, 2021, about 1557 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N1652H, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Walterboro, South Carolina. The pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight.
The airplane departed Shannon Airport (EZF), Fredericksburg, Virginia, about 1256, destined for Miami Executive Airport (TMB), Miami, Florida. Before departure, the pilot added 78.81 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline, bringing the tanks to total capacity of 98 gallons.
The flight was uneventful until about 2 hours and 53 minutes into the flight, while cruising at 6,000 feet mean sea level (msl). The pilot advised ATC that he wanted to divert to Lowcountry Regional Airport (RBW), Walterboro, for fuel. The controller cleared him to fly direct to RBW and approved him to leave the frequency for weather. Later, the controller instructed him to maintain 3,000 feet and state approach request. The pilot requested the visual approach to runway 23. The controller then instructed him to maintain 1,600 feet and fly heading 190° to RBW.
About nine miles north of RBW, the airplane began to descend without clearance. The pilot declared “Mayday” and reported a “lagging engine.” The controller advised that RBW was at one o’clock and seven miles. The minimum safe altitude warning activated as the airplane descended through 1,000 feet msl. The controller queried about a rough running engine; there was no response. The airplane continued descending in a left turn and was last observed by radar at 100 feet msl. No further communication occurred.
A witness heard an airplane “sputter and stop,” then sputtering again before the sound of an engine cut out. Two other witnesses heard engine noise, observed the airplane above the tree line in a left turn, then heard a loud “pop” and the engine noise ceased.
The pilot reported that after reaching 1,600 feet, he pulled the power back and then pushed the throttle forward, but the engine did not respond. He pulled it back toward idle to match the throttle, but the engine surged. He then pitched for about 90 knots, declared an emergency, lowered the landing gear at about 100 feet above trees, and told the passenger to brace. He transmitted “Mayday” before contacting the trees; he remembered nothing after hitting the trees until waking in the hospital.
The pilot stated his shoulder harness was broken before the flight. He did not check magnetos or switch tanks after loss of engine power. He said fuel management was not an issue; he set a timer every 15 minutes and used fuel gauges to estimate fuel.
Personnel Information
The pilot was a colonel in the United States Air Force, rated as a command pilot, with experience in multiple aircraft. He held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument ratings. His most recent FAA second-class medical was issued October 20, 2021. He had about 1,968 total flight hours, with 76 hours in the accident make and model.
Aircraft Information
Aircraft maintenance records showed the engine had accumulated 2,083.76 hours at the most recent annual inspection on August 5, 2021. Total airframe time was about 6,050 hours. The fuel system consisted of two interconnected tanks in each wing with total capacity of 98 gallons (94 usable). The fuel selector had OFF, LEFT, and RIGHT positions. The Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) recommended alternating tanks each hour and turning the electric fuel pump on before switching tanks.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the accident, conditions at RBW included wind from 280° true at 10 knots gusting to 17 knots, visibility 10 statute miles or more, scattered clouds at 5,000 ft, temperature 30°C, dew point 20°C, and altimeter 29.82 inHg. The atmosphere was conditionally unstable with a lifted index of -2.9. During the cruise portion at 6,000 ft, winds were from 260° at 21 knots, temperature 12°C.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane first contacted a 70-foot-tall pine tree, then traveled through about 100 yards of forest on a magnetic heading of about 072°, descending at about 20° flight path angle. Both wings and the right stabilator separated during impact. No evidence of pre-impact fire was found; the fuselage was mostly consumed by a postimpact fire that appeared to originate from the right wing area. Residual fuel was found in the right outboard tank. The fuel selector valve was in the right tank position. The landing gear was down; the throttle, propeller, and mixture were full forward. The wing flaps were up. The left wing fuel tanks were breached with no residual fuel. The propeller showed no rotational deformation. Engine examination revealed impact and thermal damage; the magneto and engine-driven fuel pump were thermally destroyed. Spark plugs were dark gray and sooty; thumb compression and suction were obtained. The oil pump drive gear had one fractured tooth, consistent with overstress during impact. The fuel injector servo was positioned at full throttle; mixture at mid-range. The fuel screen was clean. The flow divider had no residual fuel.
Additional Information
ADS-B data showed the pilot made multiple altitude changes: initial climb to 6,000 ft, then 10,000 ft, 8,000 ft, 6,000 ft, 4,000 ft, then back to 6,000 ft before descending to 1,600 ft. The flight lasted about 3 hours, covering 351 nautical miles at an average ground speed of 116 knots. Piper Aircraft calculated fuel consumption estimates: at 75% power leaned for best performance, about 56.7 gallons; for best economy, about 51.5 gallons. At 55% power, best performance about 47.7 gallons; best economy about 41.8 gallons.