Piper PA 31T N779MF

Summary

On 19 November 2016 at about 03:20 local time, a Piper PA 31T registered N779MF, operated by American Medflight Inc, was involved in an accident near Elko, Nevada, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 November 2016 at 03:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Elko, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Elko Rgnl (EKO)

Coordinates

40.8339, -115.7831

Aircraft

Piper PA 31T

Registration

N779MF

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

2

Operator

American Medflight Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elko → Salt Lake City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

WPR17FA024

4 people died.

A loss of engine power to the left engine for reasons that could not be determined due to the extensive fire and impact damage to the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot departed in the twin-engine, turbine-powered airplane on an air ambulance flight with two medical crewmembers and a patient on board in night visual meteorological conditions. According to a witness, during the initial climb, the airplane made a left turn of about 30° from the runway heading, then stopped climbing, made an abrupt left bank, and began to descend. The airplane impacted a parking lot and erupted into flames. In the 2 months before the accident, pilots had notified maintenance personnel three times that the left engine was not producing the same power as the right engine. In response, mechanics had replaced the left engine's bleed valve three times with the final replacement taking place three days before the accident. In addition, about 1 month before the accident, the left engine's fuel control unit was replaced during trouble shooting of an oil leak. Postaccident examination revealed that the right engine and propeller displayed more pronounced rotational signatures than the left engine and propeller. This is consistent with the left engine not producing power or being at a low power setting at impact. Further, the abrupt left bank and descent observed by the witness are consistent with a loss of left engine power during initial climb. The extensive fire and impact damage to the airplane precluded determination of the reason for the loss of left engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.