Piper PA23 N14181

Summary

On 2 June 2020 at about 17:33 local time, a Piper PA23 registered N14181, operated by Isla Nena Air Service Inc, was involved in an accident near San Juan, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 June 2020 at 17:33

Classification

Accident

Location

San Juan, United States

Nearest airport

Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci (SIG)

Coordinates

18.4589, -66.0919

Aircraft

Piper PA23

Registration

N14181

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Engines

2

Operator

Isla Nena Air Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Juan → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA202

2 people died.

The pilot’s intentional operation of the airplane with known deficiencies of the left engine and subsequent in-flight loss of control after takeoff. Contributing to the loss of engine power was internal contamination of the left servo fuel injector. Contributing to the loss of control was the pilot’s intentional operation below the single engine rate of climb airspeed, and his failure to feather the left propeller.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot-rated passenger reported that before takeoff, the pilot performed an engine run-up with no discrepancies noted. During takeoff, when full power was applied, the airplane yawed abruptly to the left and the left engine was not producing full power. The pilot elected to continue the takeoff and immediately applied right rudder, right aileron and back pressure, similar to a crosswind soft field takeoff. The airplane climbed about 100 ft-per-minute at an indicated airspeed below the published single engine rate of climb airspeed. When the pilot reached to retract the hydraulically controlled landing gear, it failed to retract. The airplane then rolled left and impacted the water adjacent to the airport in an inverted nose-low attitude. The pilot-rated passenger, who was also a mechanic, stated that during a previous takeoff attempt, the pilot aborted the takeoff when the airplane yawed left after takeoff power was applied. While taxiing off the runway, the left engine quit. The pilot restarted the engine and taxied to the ramp. Following a visual inspection that revealed the left strut extension was more than the right, the pilot decided to attempt the takeoff again; it was during this subsequent takeoff that the accident occurred. Postaccident examination of the flight controls, right engine and its systems, and the left engine powertrain, fuel supply, and ignition systems revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. A missing nylon throttle stop of the left servo fuel injector (fuel servo) was the likely reason why the left engine quit at idle, and internal contamination of it resulted in a decreased fuel flow of about 31% of the minimum required value at full throttle and full rich mixture. Once the contamination was removed the left fuel servo flowed within limits at full throttle and full rich mixture; the contaminant was not analyzed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.