Piper PA28 N2890T

Summary

On 11 September 2019 at about 14:32 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N2890T was involved in an accident near Boca Raton, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 September 2019 at 14:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Boca Raton, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Boca Raton (BCT)

Coordinates

26.3786, -80.1083

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N2890T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boca Raton → Boca Raton

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA317

1 person was seriously injured.

The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence and the pilot’s decision to take off without fully troubleshooting the partial loss of engine power that occurred during the previous flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Following a partial loss of engine power after takeoff, the pilot returned to the airport and performed a visual inspection and engine test run with a mechanic, which revealed no anomalies. The pilot then chose to perform another flight without identifying the cause of the loss of engine power and the mechanic agreed to accompany him. As the airplane climbed through 400 to 500 ft above ground level after takeoff, the engine ran rough, and the pilot started a turn back to the airport. The engine subsequently lost total power and the airplane impacted terrain and obstacles. The airplane was equipped with an engine monitor that captured exhaust gas temperatures (EGT), cylinder head temperatures (CHT), and turbine inlet temperature (TIT). TIT is the direct measurement of the temperature of combined exhaust from all cylinders immediately before it enters the turbocharger, but the measurement itself is not used in the normal operation of the turbocharger. The data showed a rapid drop in TIT about 45 seconds before changes in the CHT and EGT associated with both loss of power events on the day of the accident. The data also recorded three other sessions in which the TIT dropped similarly, but there were no associated changes to EGT or CHT values to indicate a loss of engine power on those occasions. No evidence was found to indicate a loss of engine power resulted directly from the changes in TIT or what caused those changes. Examination of the engine revealed a hole in the turbocharger’s automatic wastegate controller diaphragm, which would result in the wastegate failing toward the closed position. The closed wastegate would increase manifold pressure and decrease the efficiency of the turbocharger at higher altitudes; however, a closed wastegate would not result in a total loss of engine power. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined based on available evidence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.