Piper PA-32RT-300T N2112A

Summary

On 10 April 2020 at about 19:32 local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T registered N2112A was involved in an accident near Angostura, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 April 2020 at 19:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Angostura, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

36.0708, -105.5589

Aircraft

Piper PA-32RT-300T

Registration

N2112A

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Los Alamos → Kansas City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20LA121

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilots precautionary off airport landing due to an undetermined engine issue.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a daytime visual flight rules cross-country flight, the pilot landed at an intermediate stop. He reported that, during landing, the “engine stopped,” which he assumed was due to the high-density altitude. The pilot restarted the engine, taxied to parking, and refueled the airplane. He did not report doing any troubleshooting to determine why the engine quit during landing. The pilot subsequently departed the airport and was conducting “S-turn climbs” to avoid terrain. The pilot reported that, as the airplane was about 11,000 ft mean sea level, the engine sputtered. The pilot advanced throttle, mixture, and propeller controls forward. Recorded engine data showed normal operational signatures, and an increase in fuel flow, manifold pressure, and engine rpm, consistent with the pilot’s action of advancing the engine controls. The pilot stated he turned to the right to avoid terrain and the stall warning activated during the turn. In response, he lowered the nose and decided to land in an area of snow-covered mountainous terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings. Postaccident examination of the recovered airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Engine data showed the engine operated normally throughout the flight and there were no anomalies prior to the data ending that would indicate the engine “sputtered” as reported by the pilot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.