Piper PA-23 N465JA

Summary

On 22 January 2015 at about 14:13 local time, a Piper PA-23 registered N465JA, operated by Tailwheels Etc., Inc., was involved in an accident near Lakeland, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 January 2015 at 14:13

Classification

Accident

Location

Lakeland, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Lakeland Linder Regional (LAL)

Coordinates

28.0211, -82.0444

Aircraft

Piper PA-23

Registration

N465JA

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

2

Operator

Tailwheels Etc., Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lakeland → Lakeland

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15FA109

2 people died.

An in-flight loss of control for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident investigation; the loss of control likely occurred during a simulated loss of power in the right engine during an instructional flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was the seventh lesson for the multiengine student, which likely included a simulated engine failure of the right engine usually performed over or near the destination airport. After takeoff, the flight proceeded north; radar returns were consistent with airwork. The airplane then turned and began flying toward the destination airport at 3,600 ft mean sea level and 105 mph. A witness heard a "pop" sound, and another witness heard an unusual engine sound; these might be consistent with a quick reduction in power on one engine, and, based on radar data, the airplane began to slow about that time, consistent with reduced power from one engine. The airplane then began a right turn, pitched nose down, descended into a building, and was nearly consumed by a postcrash fire. Although the final descent was captured by a security video, the low-resolution image precluded a determination of the state of the airplane at that time. No structure associated with the aft portion of the fuselage was identified in the wreckage. Examination of sections of the fractured structure revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Examination of the fractured left rudder cable revealed extensive postaccident heat damage to the fracture surface that precluded determination of the fracture mode. Examination of the engines and propellers revealed no evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions; neither propeller was in the feathered position. The rudder with attached trim tab and a flight bag separated from the airplane during the descent came to rest outside the impact area. The separated rudder exhibited evidence of overtravel in both directions that is consistent with loss of cable tension; the reason for the loss of cable tension could not be determined. It also could not be determined how the flight bag became separated from the wreckage. Discrepancies previously noted by Federal Aviation Administration personnel during a ramp inspection of the accident airplane had been repaired before the accident flight. Further, the pilot who flew the accident airplane the day before reported no discrepancies during that flight. Although the toxicological finding in specimens of the pilot-rated student were positive for ethanol, it is likely that it was the result of postmortem production.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.