Piper PA-30 N7812Y

Summary

On 7 April 2006 at about 23:30 local time, a Piper PA-30 registered N7812Y, operated by Cortney Kinnan, was involved in an accident near Norfolk, Virginia, United States. One person was 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 April 2006 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Norfolk, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Hampton Roads Executive Airpor (PVG)

Coordinates

36.7581, -76.4625

Aircraft

Piper PA-30

Registration

N7812Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Cortney Kinnan

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Newport News → Norfolk

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC06LA090

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during a single-engine go-around. A factor was the partial loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a local "shakeout" flight, as the airplane had not flown since its last inspection 9 months prior. The pilot performed a preflight inspection and observed that the fuel was "almost full" in the main tanks and "almost halfway full" in the auxiliary tanks. The pilot "sumped" the fuel tanks, and observed some water in the fuel. After departure, the airplane seemed to be operating "normally," but at a slower indicated airspeed than normal for the power setting. The pilot flew toward the nearest airport, where he also intended to purchase fuel. As the pilot lowered the landing gear on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he did not observe the "gear down" lights illuminate in the cockpit. Shortly after, the pilot noticed that the left engine rpm and manifold pressure were "up" but the engine "wasn't producing much thrust." The pilot cycled the landing gear and continued troubleshooting the left engine; however, the gear did not extend, and he decided to perform a single-engine go-around. During the go-around the airplane rolled to the left "near Vmc," impacted trees, and came to rest inverted in a swamp. Examination of the magnetos revealed they would not produce spark when functionally tested on a test bench. Disassembly of the magnetos revealed rust and corrosion, and that the points were insulated. It could not be deduced whether these conditions were present at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.