Piper PA-24-250 N7331P

Summary

On 28 May 2001 at about 22:57 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N7331P was involved in an accident near Osage Beach, Missouri, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 May 2001 at 22:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Osage Beach, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

38.1291, -92.6502

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N7331P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kaiser → Schaumburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI01FA146

3 people died.

Aircraft control not being maintained by the pilot during the forced landing and inadequate preflight inspection performed by the pilot. Contributing factors to the accident were the fuel system contamination that resulted in the loss of engine power, the encountered stall, and trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a forced landing the airplane stalled and impacted trees and terrain. Witnesses to the accident reported that the engine was running rough and intermittently prior to the accident. A global positioning system (GPS) receiver was recovered at the accident site and its track data was downloaded. The recovered GPS data showed the airplane's ground speed was between 73.7 - 79.8 mph during the last 10 seconds of data. The stall speed for the accident airplane with flaps retracted is 70 mph. Post-accident fuel samples taken from the fuel strainer and both electric fuel pumps were contaminated with water and particulate. Both electric fuel pumps contained rust, water, and particulate. The carburetor float bowl and accelerator pump-well were contaminated with fine particulate resembling silicon sand. The same fine particulate was observed in the carburetor idle tube passage and nozzle well. Fuel samples taken from the right main fuel cell and fuel selector were clear of debris and water. A fuel sample obtained from the departure airport was clear of debris and water. The accident airplane had been operated approximately 164 hours in the last 35 years, 47 hours in the last 15 years, 35 hours in the last 5 years, and 35 hours in the last year. According to Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR), the pilot-in-command is required to complete an aircraft preflight inspection in order to determine if the aircraft is in an airworthy condition. According to FAA AC 20-43C, "Fuel having a 'cloudy' appearance or definitely 'offcolor' should be suspected of contamination or deterioration and should not be used." According to Airplane Flying Handbook, "Significant and/or consistent water or sediment contamination are grounds for further investigation by qualified maintenance personnel. Each fuel tank sump should be drained during preflight and after refueling."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.