Piper PA-32-RT-300 N2200J

Summary

On 7 February 1996 at about 08:45 local time, a Piper PA-32-RT-300 registered N2200J, operated by Steven A Walters, was involved in an accident near Blountville, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 February 1996 at 08:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Blountville, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Tri-City Regional Airport (TRI)

Coordinates

36.5309, -82.3196

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-RT-300

Registration

N2200J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Steven A Walters

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Birmingham → Charlottesville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

ATL96LA045

Nobody was injured.

Inadequate maintenance, and subsequent in-flight separation of the cowling, due to worn cowling components.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The night instrument instruction flight was cruising at 9,000 feet, VFR on top, when the left half of the top engine cowling ripped off and lodged on the horizontal stabilizer. The airplane was difficult to control, and would not maintain level flight. The instructor and the student diverted to a nearby airport and landed uneventfully. An FAA inspector examined the airplane and stated that the left cowl pin was missing, but it did not fail, having been torn away along with the surrounding cowling material. The manager of the shop where the airplane was repaired stated that he had previously observed worn side latches and pin grommets that allowed the upper cowl pin to slide out of the lower pin hole, which would allow air flow to rip off the upper cowling. There were no FAA malfunction/defect reports of a similar failure, and the manufacturer did not have records of any previous failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.