Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB WPR22FA264
PIPER PA-28-235 — Seguin, TX
| Date | July 22, 2022 |
| Location | Seguin, TX |
| Aircraft | PIPER PA-28-235 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering Part(s) separation from AC |
| Pilot age | 66 |
| Pilot total time | 315 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft-Aircraft structures-(general)-(general)-Inadequate inspection
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot
What happened
The pilot departed from a grass strip for a personal cross-country flight with a passenger. Radar data and the location of the accident site indicate the airplane made a left turn after takeoff and descended into trees, coming to rest about ¼ mile from the airport. The data also showed the airplane’s airspeed decreased after takeoff. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postimpact fire.
The day before the accident flight, a resident of the airpark reported that the accident airplane had stopped near their residence located near the departure end of runway 14. The pilot had said to the resident that his cowling had opened and that he needed to secure it before taking off. The airplane departed a few minutes later and returned to the airport about 45 minutes later. On the day of the accident, the passenger reported to a friend during a video chat that the pilot had trouble starting the engine before the flight and the friend could see that the engine cowling was open. In addition, photos of the airplane taken during its takeoff roll showed that the right aft edge of the engine cowling was not flush with the fuselage.
Given the recurring problem with the cowling latch, it is likely the latch was not properly secured during the preflight, which allowed it to open during the flight. The pilot likely became distracted with the opened engine cowling, which then led to a loss of control inflight.
Toxicology testing revealed that the pilot had used cannabis, but whether he was experiencing effects of the drug at the time of the accident could not be determined. The potentially sedating antihistamine cetirizine was also detected in the pilot, but testing was unable to determine if it was at therapeutic levels and therefore more likely to cause any side effects. Thus, this investigation was unable to determine if effects from the pilot’s use of cannabis and cetirizine were a factor in this accident.