Piper PA 30 N7981Y

Summary

On 17 July 2014 at about 22:15 local time, a Piper PA 30 registered N7981Y was involved in an accident near Othello, Washington, United States. 4 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

17 July 2014 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Othello, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Othello Municipal (S70)

Coordinates

47.3167, -119.1333

Aircraft

Piper PA 30

Registration

N7981Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Othello → Klamath Falls

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA298

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot of the twin-engine airplane was preparing to take off for a cross-country flight. He reported that during the power up for takeoff, the left engine was at 2,200 rpm while the right engine was at 2,600 rpm. He leaned the mixture on the left engine to bring the rpm up to 2,600 and proceeded with the takeoff. After the takeoff roll, he started to climb the airplane and noted that the exhaust gas temperature on the left engine was much higher than on the right engine. The left engine rpm suddenly dropped to 2,000, and the airplane yawed to the left and started to descend. The pilot could not stop the yaw and descent, and the airplane impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that he should not have leaned the left engine for takeoff. A review of the left engine's logbook revealed a logbook entry about 4 months before the accident noting that the fuel flow divider, fuel servo, and turbo charger had been removed, repaired, and reinstalled. The entry also noted that a flow test was performed and that the engine was tested, checked for leaks, and returned to service. The airplane and engines were sold for salvage and were not available for examination; therefore, the reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.