Piper PA-34-200T N8189P

Summary

On 5 December 1997 at about 00:15 local time, a Piper PA-34-200T registered N8189P was involved in an accident near Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 December 1997 at 00:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Lee's Summit Municipal (K84)

Coordinates

38.9099, -94.4009

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-200T

Registration

N8189P

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

CHI98LA054

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's inadequate remedial action concerning the loss of engine power, after inadvertently switching off the magnetos. Factors relating to the accident were: the broken springs for magneto cover guard; excessive drag from the extended landing gear and unfeathered propeller; and failure of the pilot to maintain runway alignment after loss of engine power; all of which subsequenlty led to a failure (or inability) to remain clear of obstructions (trees).

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported taking off during gusty wind conditions on a dark night. He said that shortly after liftoff, the airplane '...veered sharply to the left... .' The pilot said he applied full right rudder and aileron to maintain a '...somewhat level...' attitude. He said the airplane flew through the tops of trees before it collided with the ground, while he was maneuvering to return to the airport. The investigation revealed that the left engine's propeller was not feathered, and the landing gear was in the DOWN position. No mechanical anomalies were found with the engine or airframe that would have prevented flight. The left engine magneto switches were found in the OFF position. The landing light switches were ON. The magneto switch guard cover's self-erecting springs were broken allowing the guard cover to cover the landing light switches instead of the magneto switches.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.