Piper PA-32-300 N15852

Summary

On 5 November 2006 at about 05:20 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N15852 was involved in an accident near Danville, Arkansas, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 November 2006 at 05:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Danville, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

Danville Muni (32A)

Coordinates

35.0869, -93.4275

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N15852

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Little Rock → Oklahoma City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

DFW07FA020

3 people died.

Failure of the number 5 cylinder which resulted in oil starvation and the subsequent loss of engine power, and the pilot's inability to see the transmission line during the forced landing. Factors Contributing to the accident were the dark night and the transmission line.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was in cruise flight at an assigned altitude of 6,000 feet mean sea level while on an instrument flight rules flight plan operating on a night cross-country flight while in visual meteorological conditions. The pilot reported a rough running engine to air traffic controller before transmitting a distress call. The pilot headed towards a local municipal airport; however, discontinued the approach and initiated a forced landing in a cleared pasture that appeared to be a suitable for a forced landing. Radar data depicts the airplane descending toward the area and the ground speed is reduced for the imminent forced landing. Short of the selected landing area, the airplane collided with unmarked powerlines running perpendicular to the selected clearing. There were no reported eyewitness to the accident. The wreckage of the single engine airplane was discovered the next morning. Ground signature at the accident site were consistent with a ground impact in the inverted position. A post-impact fire consumed the airframe, with the exception of the right wing and the aft section of the tail section. An examination of the engine revealed both engine case halves had matching serial numbers. About half of the engine oil pan was consumed by a post-impact fire. Engine control continuity could not be established due to the severity of the fire and separation from the engine mounts. A large hole was found on top of the engine case between the number 4 and number 6 cylinders. In addition, thermal signatures consistent with the lack of oil lubrication were noticeable on both the number 4 and number 6 cylinders. The number 5 cylinder was found separated from its mount. The number 5 connecting rod cap separated from the connecting rod and was not recovered. The maintenance records for the airframe and the powerplant were not located during the course of the accident investigation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.