Piper PA-28-160 N5841W

Summary

On 10 January 2023 at about 22:43 local time, a Piper PA-28-160 registered N5841W, operated by First Team Pilot Training LLC, was involved in an accident near Somerville, Tennessee, United States. 2 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

10 January 2023 at 22:43

Classification

Accident

Location

Somerville, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Fayette County (FYE)

Coordinates

35.2172, -89.3800

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-160

Registration

N5841W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

First Team Pilot Training LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA111

Nobody was injured.

Based on available evidence, the reason for the damage to the airplane’s propeller and engine cowling could not be determined.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During an instructional flight, while flying on the left downwind leg of the traffic pattern at an altitude of about 1,000 ft above the ground, the flight instructor and the student pilot heard a momentary grinding noise of what sounded like "metal on metal." The flight instructor described that the noise lasted no more than 2 to 3 seconds and immediately abated. The flight instructor and student did not see anything approaching the airplane or its flight path before the noise occurred, nor did they report any sensation similar to an impact. The flight instructor and student pilot subsequently landed the airplane without issue and during a postflight inspection with the airplane’s owner, the flight instructor noted damage to the right side of the engine cowling and substantial damage to the inboard aft face of one of the propellor blades. There were no visible blood or bird remains present on the propeller or cowling. The flight instructor and airplane owner postulated that the airplane may have impacted an unmanned aerial system (UAS), and the airplane owner subsequently coordinated a ground search for debris in the days following the accident; however, no UAS components was located. Review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records revealed that no Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability authorizations were requested for the area at the time of the accident, nor had any UAS operational waivers had been filed with the FAA for operation in the area at the time of the accident. Given all available information, the reason that the airplane’s engine cowling and propeller were damaged during the flight could not be definitively determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.