Piper PA-32R-300 N349SB

Summary

On 30 October 2022 at about 18:58 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N349SB, operated by Skyband Aviation, LLC, was involved in an accident near Evansville, Indiana, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 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

30 October 2022 at 18:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Evansville, Indiana, United States

Coordinates

37.9949, -87.6078

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N349SB

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Skyband Aviation, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Taylorville → Gallatin

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA022

1 person was seriously injured.

The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. He performed a preflight inspection, and the takeoff and climb were normal. After flying for about 1 hour 10 minutes, the pilot felt the engine shake and noticed some abnormal indications on the engine monitor. He made some adjustments to the engine controls, and the engine smoothed out and ran normally. A few minutes later, the engine surged momentarily to full power and then returned to its previous power setting. The pilot diverted to a local airport, and the engine operated normally as the airplane descended. During the approach, which was conducted in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), the engine lost total power when the airplane was about 8 miles from the airport. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The airplane exited the IMC and subsequently landed hard on a golf course, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and horizontal stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the airplane and extracted engine data revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine. Given the available evidence for this accident investigation, the reason for the total loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.