History of Flight
On November 5, 2021, about 1926 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-30, N8924Y, was substantially damaged when it impacted wooded terrain near Rock Hill (York County) Airport-Bryant Field (UZA), Rock Hill, South Carolina. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The flight was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Earlier that day, the pilot had traveled as a passenger to Savannah-Hardin County Airport (SNH), Savannah, Tennessee, to pick up the accident airplane, which he had recently purchased. During a phone call from SNH, the pilot informed a mechanic that he would be making his first flight in the Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche and inquired about the fuel tanks. The pilot later called from Hartselle-Morgan County Regional Airport (5M0) stating he had made his first flight and that everything went great. He indicated he had collected the airplane's logbooks and planned to stop at LaGrange-Callaway Airport (LGC) before returning to UZA.
Fuel purchase receipts showed that 35.8 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation gasoline were purchased at LGC about 1620. ADS-B data indicated the airplane departed LGC about 1636, climbing to a cruise altitude between 3,000 and 3,500 feet mean sea level. About 1835, about 4 nautical miles from UZA, the airplane began a descent to 2,000 ft msl.
The pilot called the mechanic around 1838 reporting that he was near UZA and that the landing gear circuit breaker kept popping. ADS-B data showed the airplane maneuvering southwest of UZA between 1,000 and 2,000 ft msl while the mechanic provided guidance on manual gear extension. Calls repeatedly dropped; the final call began about 1913 and dropped about 1926 after the pilot stated he needed to add "some power." ADS-B data at that time showed the airplane at 1,025 ft msl and 63 knots groundspeed. The last data point showed the airplane at 625 ft msl near the accident site, which was about 3.5 nautical miles south of UZA. The airplane came to rest upright in a nose-down attitude on a heading of 297°.
Personnel Information
The pilot had logged 62 hours of multiengine flight time, according to his logbook. It included two entries for flights in the accident airplane make and model: a multileg flight on May 20, 2020, reported as 15 hours, and a flight on March 23, 2021, reported as 5 hours. However, ADS-B data for the March 23, 2021 flight showed only a 54-minute local flight at Goshen Municipal Airport in Indiana.
During the conversation with the mechanic earlier on the day of the accident, the pilot asked about the locations of the main and auxiliary fuel tanks. The mechanic explained there were eight fuel tanks but advised the pilot to fill only the main and auxiliary tanks for the return trip. The pilot said he wanted to fill only the main tanks and asked which ones those were. The mechanic provided the information but expressed concern and encouraged the pilot to leave the airplane and return the following week for a checkout. The pilot indicated he needed to return to UZA.
Aircraft Information
The Piper Turbo Twin Comanche ‘C’ PA-30 Owner’s Handbook listed the stalling speed with gear and flaps down as 69 mph and with gear and flaps up as 76 mph. Vortex generators had been installed on the wings and vertical fin in 2002 under a supplemental type certificate.
The handbook described the landing gear indicating lights: a green light for down and locked, amber for up, and white for in transit. The gear up warning horn sounds when power is reduced below approximately 12 inches of manifold pressure on both engines and the gear is not down and locked. The manual gear extension procedure involved reducing power, placing the selector switch to "GEAR DOWN LOCKED," disengaging the motor, and using an extension handle.
A laminated checklist found in the airplane contained similar manual gear extension instructions.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination of the wreckage revealed the nose was impact crushed upward and aft, with the nose and cockpit area fragmented. The fuselage was fractured aft of the wing roots and displaced upward. The right wing was accordion crushed aft and fractured about 9 feet from its root; the left wing leading edge was impact damaged. Both main landing gear were in the down-and-locked position. The right main landing gear remained attached; the left had a fractured oleo tube. The nose landing gear transmission showed no threads, consistent with the down position.
Flight control continuity was established; stabilator and rudder trims were neutral, and flaps were retracted. Both engines were examined and showed no preimpact anomalies; propellers displayed leading-edge damage, twisting, and chordwise scratches. Fuel was present in the gascolator bowls, pumps, lines, and servos, and tested negative for water.
The landing gear lights were tested: the amber and white lights functioned, but the green "down locked" light was not functional. Radiograph of the green bulb revealed a fragmented filament with no hot stretching, consistent with either a burned-out bulb or non-illumination at impact. The timing could not be determined.