Piper PA-44 N432PA

Summary

On 23 December 2003 at about 16:05 local time, a Piper PA-44 registered N432PA, operated by Beaver Aviation Service Inc., was involved in an accident near Prospect, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 December 2003 at 16:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Prospect, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

40.8978, -80.0792

Aircraft

Piper PA-44

Registration

N432PA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Beaver Aviation Service Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Beaver Falls → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD04LA005

2 people were seriously injured.

The flight instructor's improper in-flight decision, which included an inappropriate altitude selection for intentional single engine operation. Factors were the inability of the flight instructor to restart the right engine for undetermined reasons, and the early deployment of flaps and/or landing gear that did not allow the airplane to clear trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and the multi-engine student were conducting single-engine training. Approximately 2,000 - 2,500 feet agl, the flight instructor reduced power on the right engine to a zero-thrust setting. After maneuvering the airplane for 4-5 minutes, the instructor shut down the engine and feathered the propeller. After performing single engine maneuvers for about 5 minutes, the student attempted to restart the right engine "per the published procedure," which included unfeathering the propeller, but was unsuccessful. The instructor then noticed that the airplane had descended to an altitude of 1,300-1,500 feet agl, so he had the student fly the airplane while he attempted to restart the windmilling engine. When the airplane was 500-700 feet agl, the flight instructor took over the controls, and told the student that they were going to land in a field below. The flight instructor set up an approach to the field, and deployed the landing gear and 25-degrees flaps. While on the short-final leg of the approach, the airplane hit the tops of some trees bordering the field, then impacted the ground. A post-accident inspection of the left and right engines revealed no mechanical anomalies. A review of the flight instructor's logbook revealed that he had accumulated 4.8 hours of multi-engine airplane flight instruction experience. The flight school had an altitude of 3,000 feet agl established as their minimum for performing intentional single engine shut-down. According to the Piper PA-44 information manual, intentional one-engine operations should not be performed at an altitude of less than 4,000 feet above the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.