Piper PA-46-310P N70DL

Summary

On 31 August 2003 at about 19:29 local time, a Piper PA-46-310P registered N70DL, operated by Robert W. Bell Jr., was involved in an accident near Hilton Head Is, South Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 August 2003 at 19:29

Classification

Accident

Location

Hilton Head Is, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Hilton Head Island (KHXD)

Coordinates

32.2353, -80.6875

Aircraft

Piper PA-46-310P

Registration

N70DL

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Robert W. Bell Jr.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hilton Head Is → N Myrtle Beach

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL03FA133

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a VFR pattern for a precautionary landing, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and subsequent collision with terrain. Also causal was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the aircraft, which resulted in his failure to secure the fuel cap.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was returning to the airport for landing. A witness reported it was flying erratically streaming a whitish "vapor trail" from the left wing. Another witness reported the airplane banked abruptly into a steep turn to the left, the nose pitched up, and the airplane sank from view behind the trees. The witness then heard a crash and saw smoke. Examination revealed no evidence of flight control, engine, or propeller malfunction. The left inboard fuel cap was absent from the filler port, and a ground search found the left inboard fuel cap in the grass beside the runway. The JetProp LLC, JetProp DLX Supplemental Flight Manual, Section 4, Normal Procedures Checklist, states, "Left Wing 4.9e, ... Inboard Fuel Tank ... CHECK Supply Visually & SECURE CAP ..." Examination of the JetProp LLC, JetProp DLX Supplemental Flight Manual and the Piper Malibu PA-46-310P Information Manual revealed the following instructions on how to secure the fuel caps: "Replace cap securely." There was no evidence of mechanical malfunction with the fuel cap or the filler port.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.