Accident Summary
On January 7, 2023, about 1213 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-140, registration N592FL, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Suffolk, Virginia. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Flight History
The pilot based the airplane at Northeast Regional Airport (EDE), Edenton, North Carolina. According to family members, the accident flight was intended as a short cross-country trip to obtain lunch at Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ), approximately 40 nautical miles away.
ADS-B data from the FAA showed the airplane approaching SFQ in cruise at about 1,800 ft mean sea level. Approximately 2 miles from the wreckage location, the descent rate increased to 500 ft/min while airspeed remained just above 90 knots. The descent rate then slowed to 200 ft/min before rapidly increasing to over 1,500 ft/min during the final minute of flight. An aircraft performance study indicated that a steep banked turn near the airplane's stall speed would have been necessary to align the flight path with the wreckage direction. A witness reported observing the airplane in a nosedive with two spiral trails of black smoke 5 to 10 ft behind, but no visible fire.
Maintenance History
According to a mechanic at EDE, the pilot contacted him on January 1, 2023, about an excessive engine rpm drop during a magneto check. The airplane was parked on the ramp for evaluation. On January 4, the mechanic removed the spark plugs, cleaned them, and checked resistance. He found two plugs with very high resistance and one that fired weakly. He replaced those three and reinstalled the other five.
Later that day, the pilot arrived before the mechanic could perform an engine run. The pilot requested to run the engine, and the mechanic agreed, listening from his hangar. Upon start, the mechanic immediately noticed the engine was "skipping." The pilot shut down, and the mechanic told him the airplane should not be flown until further investigation, likely on January 9. The mechanic moved the airplane into the pilot's hangar due to forecast bad weather. On January 7, the pilot returned, saw the airplane, and departed without contacting the mechanic. At the time of the accident, the airplane had not been released from maintenance.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane impacted nose-down in a marshy field about 5 miles from the destination airport. No debris path was observed. The wreckage came to rest upright, oriented south. A section of engine cowling was found 50 ft south. A postimpact fire consumed most of the wreckage except the wings and engine.
Flight control cable continuity was confirmed from both ailerons to the cockpit area. Continuity for the elevator and rudder could not be confirmed due to impact and thermal damage; the elevator trim setting could not be determined.
The engine was buried in about 3 ft of mud. The propeller remained attached, with both blades exhibiting S-bending and chordwise scratching. The right magneto had separated from the accessory housing; its hold-down nuts were finger tight. The left magneto remained attached with its nuts also finger tight. No other preimpact mechanical malfunctions were found.
Medical and Toxicological Findings
An autopsy by the Commonwealth of Virginia determined the pilot's cause of death as blunt force trauma, with the manner accidental. No significant natural disease was identified. Toxicology testing by the FAA detected cetirizine (an antihistamine with sedating properties) in liver and muscle tissue at 649 ng/gm and 108 ng/gm, respectively. The gastric reflux medication famotidine was also detected. No blood specimens were available.