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| Date: | Wednesday 14 September 2022 |
| Time: | 12:22 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28R-201 Arrow III |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N62FC |
| MSN: | 28R-7737039 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Conway, SC -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Myrtle Beach International Airport, SC (MYR/KMYR) |
| Wilmington International Airport, NC (ILM/KILM) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On September 14, 2022, about 1222 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-201 airplane, N62FC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Conway, South Carolina. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Shortly after departure, on the first flight following maintenance, the pilot reported a loss of engine power. The pilot attempted a forced landing onto a gravel road, but the airplane impacted trees and powerlines on final approach. The airplane came to rest against a berm and a postcrash fire ensued.
A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the Nos. 2, 3, and 4 connecting rods were separated from the crankshaft. The left side of the engine crankcase was fractured. The Nos. 3 and 4 connecting rods were separated from their respective crankshaft rod journals. During disassembly of the engine, a vacuum pump cover was removed from the vacuum pump drive pad and no gasket, or remnants of a gasket, were found. Other engine components were removed, and all had remnants of a gasket despite the thermal damage. When the crankshaft was removed, discoloration was present, consistent with exposure to high heat. It is therefore likely that the gasket had not been installed following the completion of maintenance work. Additionally, when the bottom of the empennage was examined, a sizeable quantity of oil was present near the tail tie down ring.
A review of the airplane maintenance records revealed that after a certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic had completed the work on the airplane, the Director of Maintenance, an airframe and powerplant mechanic with inspection authorization, signed off the paperwork to return the airplane back to service. The return to service entry stated that the vacuum pump had been removed but did not address the installation of the drive pad gasket or vacuum pump cover. In an interview, the mechanic who completed the removal of the vacuum pump and installation of the vacuum pump cover stated that that when he removed the vacuum pump, the gasket was still attached to it. He cleaned the mating surface of the cover and drive pad and then installed the cover. He stated that he thought he had replaced the gasket. A review of the work order showed that although the cover had been ordered, there was no record of a gasket being ordered.
It is likely that, following the removal of the vacuum pump and system, no gasket was installed between the vacuum pump drive cover and the engine accessory case. Additionally, the Director of Maintenance likely did not review the work in detail before signing for the airplane to return to service. As the oil temperature increased, the viscosity lowered, and the oil became thin and thus more easily able to escape from non-sealed areas.
Probable Cause: The mechanic’s failure to install the required gasket on the vacuum pump drive pad in accordance with the maintenance manual, which resulted in oil exhaustion and the subsequent loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the Director of Maintenance’s failure to verify the installation of the vacuum pump gasket before returning the airplane to service.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/horry-county/small-plane-crash-reported-near-conway/
https://www.wmbfnews.com/2022/09/15/coroners-office-confirms-2-dead-after-single-engine-plane-crashes-woods-near-conway/
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105936
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=62FC
https://photos-e1.flightcdn.com/photos/retriever/1f2b5dfcedbaf4f3e892b87aca895a5242134c44 (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
NTSB investigating the Sept. 14, crash of a Piper P28R-201 aircraft near Conway, South Carolina.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) September 14, 2022
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Sep-2022 18:58 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 14-Sep-2022 21:06 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Nature, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 15-Sep-2022 03:24 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 15-Sep-2022 06:48 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 15-Sep-2022 11:51 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 15-Sep-2022 13:09 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Narrative, ] |
| 15-Sep-2022 13:17 | A.J.Scholten | Updated [Aircraft type, ] |
| 15-Sep-2022 13:22 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Narrative, ] |
| 15-Sep-2022 15:44 | johnwg | Updated [Location, ] |
| 15-Sep-2022 17:18 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 16-Sep-2022 00:51 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 27-Sep-2022 20:17 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 29-Nov-2023 20:38 | Captain Adam | Updated [Phase, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, Photo, ] |
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