N2947A

On July 16, 2000, about 1322 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300, N2947A, registered to and operated by a private owner, made a hard landing at Warren Field airport, Washington, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private-rated pilot was not injured, one passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight originated about 5 minutes earlier.

The pilot stated that no discrepancies were noted during his preflight of the airplane; all cowling fasteners were in place and secure. The flight departed runway 23 and after takeoff at approximately 100 feet above ground level (agl), he noticed that the cowling was loose on the right side; it was "straight up." He initiated a left turn to land on runway 35 and was flying at approximately 500 feet, "trying to maintain enough [airspeed] to stay in the air, but not enough to tear off the cowling." During the turn, the whole right side of the cowling "came up." He lowered one notch of flaps, and later reported, "I ran out of lift." The airplane landed hard about 4-5 feet to the right of the runway then skidded onto the runway and slid approximately 200-300 feet then stopped. On impact, the top engine cowling "ripped off" and impacted the tail. He further stated that during the flight, the raised cowling created drag but did not interfere with his visibility; he did not apply full power to reduce the effects of the increase drag. He stated, "I should have added more power"; there was no problem with the engine. He reported that the top cowling is one piece and clips on with four fasteners (two per side), and three fasteners on the aft portion. He also stated that in hindsight, "If I had added more power I would have landed OK."

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificated mechanic with inspection authorization (IA) revealed that the lower portion of the forward fastener on the right side of the top cowling was separated; but was recovered. The attach structure of right cowl pin was separated, but was recovered from the accident site. The cowl pin and pin bushing were worn, but in his experience he classified the wear as "normal." Additionally, the right side aft wing fastener was not in place. A section of top cowling remained secured to the bottom cowling by the left side latches. A copy of the statement from the IA and photographs taken by him are attachments to this report.

By design, the top cowling is secured by six fasteners (two per side), and two on the aft portion of the cowling. Additionally, the top cowling has two pins located on the forward portion of the cowling on the left and right sides. The pins extend through a bushing that is affixed to the bottom cowling.