Piper PA-34-200 N55362

Summary

On 7 June 1995 at about 05:45 local time, a Piper PA-34-200 registered N55362 was involved in an accident near Rapid City, South Dakota, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 June 1995 at 05:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Rapid City, South Dakota, United States

Coordinates

44.0705, -103.2291

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-200

Registration

N55362

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Garden City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

CHI95LA193

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to feather the propeller on the left engine during the descent. A factor was the carburetor icing weather condition.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS FLYING IN INTERMITTENT RAIN AT 10,000 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL. HE TURNED ON ALTERNATE AIR TO BOTH ENGINES AND NOTED THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE GAUGE INDICATED 43 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. HE BEGAN LOSING RPM ON THE LEFT ENGINE. HE ELECTED NOT TO FEATHER THE PROPELLER BECAUSE HE BELIEVED HE WAS GETTING 'MINIMAL RPM PERFORMANCE.' DESCENDING THROUGH 8,000 FEET HE NOTED THE TEMPERATURE WAS 39 TO 40 DEGREES AND THE RIGHT ENGINE DROPPED 200-300 RPM. HE MADE AN OFF AIRPORT, FORCED LANDING WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED FUEL WAS AVAILABLE ON THE AIRPLANE. THE LEFT ENGINE STARTED UNEVENTFULLY WHEN IT WAS TESTED AND PERFORMED NORMALLY UP TO A MANIFOLD PRESSURE OF 25 INCHES OF MERCURY.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.