N200RA

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 20, 2023, about 0934 central daylight time, a Piper PA-31P airplane, N200RA, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Kearney, Missouri. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 maintenance ferry flight.

The flight departed runway 36 at the Midwest National Air Center Airport (GPH), Mosby, Missouri, on a one-time maintenance ferry flight to Clyde Cessna Field (9K8), Kingman, Kansas. Before the accident flight, the owner requested an airport lineman to fuel the airplane. During the fueling of 18.53 gallons of avgas, an unknown amount of fuel leaked from the right-wing inboard fuel tank (see figure 1). According to the mechanic, the airplane had 140 gallons onboard divided between both 50-gallon inboard wing fuel tanks and 40 gallons in the right-wing auxiliary fuel tank. The lineman was unable to fuel the left-wing auxiliary fuel tank due to a known leak of the nipple at the bottom of the tank.

Figure 1. Video screen capture of the fuel leak provided by the lineman.

Witnesses reported that the pilot did not perform an engine run-up before takeoff, and during the takeoff roll the pilot had to bring the airplane back to the centerline with a power reduction as it yawed to the right. Cellphone video recordings of the takeoff sequence showed the airplane veer to the right and attempt to rotate before the airplane settled back to the runway. The recordings showed the airplane become airborne near the end of the runway and initially yaw to the right before it entered a shallow climb. It barely cleared a line of trees past the departure end of the runway and made a left turn before it disappeared behind the trees.

A witness about 1.6 nautical miles to the north of the airport stated he heard a loud airplane that appeared from behind trees headed toward his residence. He observed the airplane strike two static wires on a power transmission line before it impacted the canopy of a large tree in his front yard (see figure 2). The airplane continued in a left bank toward a nearby soybean field and impacted the terrain in a nose-low, left-bank attitude. The airplane slid several hundred feet and a postcrash fire ensued.

Figure 2. Transmission line and tree impact PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAll flight history and hours were obtained through the pilot’s FAA medical certificate applications due to his pilot logbook not being located. The pilot’s recent and make/model experience was not available. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONMultiple witnesses reported that the airplane was chained to a tree in an agricultural field adjacent to GPH from August 2021 until December 2022 due to its previous owner being evicted from the airport. Before the eviction, the airplane’s last recorded annual inspection was on August 15, 2015, with a tachometer (tach) time of 1182.2 hours. A propeller inspection record on May 19, 2019, still reported a tach time of 1182 hours.

According to the same witnesses, the owner and a mechanic with airframe and powerplant ratings worked on the airplane for about six months; the most recent annual inspection was completed in 2015. Two witnesses reported that during an engine ground run about two weeks before the accident, the right engine was difficult to start and would not produce full power. The witnesses also stated that the inboard fuel tanks leaked “horribly” when the airplane was fueled.

About two weeks before the accident, the owner received a Special Airworthiness Certificate: Special Flight Permit to ferry the airplane from Mosby, Missouri, to Kingman, Kansas, to complete an annual inspection. Witnesses and the mechanic reported that two or three pilots declined to perform the ferry flight for the owner before the accident pilot agreed to take the flight.

An interview of the mechanic was performed via telephone on July 26, 2023. During the interview, the mechanic stated that the only work performed before the accident flight was replacing the nose and one main landing gear tire, servicing the brakes, a landing gear swing, replacement of burnt wiring in the right engine, and several maintenance engine runs. The Special Flight Permit was requested so the airplane could be ferried back to the mechanic’s hangar in Kingman, Kansas, for maintenance. The mechanic stated that he knew about the fuel leaks coming from the various tanks and further stated that it was an item to be fixed once the ferry flight was complete. Additionally, he and the owner spent several days vacuuming out various bird nests and debris from the airplane. During engine start, the mechanic stated that the pilot contacted him several times to ask about various issues, such as the location of the radio master switch, how to transfer fuel between fuel tanks, and the left vacuum pressure gauge being inoperative.

The Special Airworthiness Certificate: Special Flight Permit for a one-time maintenance ferry flight between GPH to Clyde Cessna Field (9K8) was issued by a Kansas City Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Standards District Office inspector on June 29, 2023, and then reissued on July 11, 2023, with an expiration date of July 23, 2023. The airplane was inspected, and a logbook entry was recorded with a tach time of 1192.2 hours by the mechanic on June 28, 2023, for the one-time ferry flight. Part of the logbook entry stated that the mechanic removed the emergency locator beacon (ELT) for repair during his inspection. However, postaccident examination showed that the ELT was in the airframe cradle with an undisturbed animal nest in the antenna wiring. The animal nest had to be removed by investigators to disconnect the antenna from the ELT (See Figure 3.)

Figure 3. ELT as found during the postaccident examination.

Additionally, the mechanic stated that he reviewed the applicable airworthiness directives (AD) and part of the ferry flight logbook entry stated that he “checked the Ads.” Paperwork provided as part of the application for the permit showed that the ADs were signed off by an apprentice and not the mechanic as stated in the logbook entry.

The FAA Inspector who issued the Special Airworthiness Certificate, when asked what actions he performed while issuing the permit, stated that he assisted the owner’s wife in completing the application electronically in the FAA Airworthiness Certification (AWC) tool web portal and reviewed the application via the same portal. He also stated that he did not physically inspect the airplane or logbooks due to no “indication that there was something wrong with the airplane [or] that it wasn’t safe for the flight.” When asked if he had reviewed the AD Compliance Report provided with the application, he stated that he was not sure he saw a specific AD report. He stated that, “the log entry said that the ADs had been checked. I didn’t see an actual itemized report except from the previous inspection.” AIRPORT INFORMATIONMultiple witnesses reported that the airplane was chained to a tree in an agricultural field adjacent to GPH from August 2021 until December 2022 due to its previous owner being evicted from the airport. Before the eviction, the airplane’s last recorded annual inspection was on August 15, 2015, with a tachometer (tach) time of 1182.2 hours. A propeller inspection record on May 19, 2019, still reported a tach time of 1182 hours.

According to the same witnesses, the owner and a mechanic with airframe and powerplant ratings worked on the airplane for about six months; the most recent annual inspection was completed in 2015. Two witnesses reported that during an engine ground run about two weeks before the accident, the right engine was difficult to start and would not produce full power. The witnesses also stated that the inboard fuel tanks leaked “horribly” when the airplane was fueled.

About two weeks before the accident, the owner received a Special Airworthiness Certificate: Special Flight Permit to ferry the airplane from Mosby, Missouri, to Kingman, Kansas, to complete an annual inspection. Witnesses and the mechanic reported that two or three pilots declined to perform the ferry flight for the owner before the accident pilot agreed to take the flight.

An interview of the mechanic was performed via telephone on July 26, 2023. During the interview, the mechanic stated that the only work performed before the accident flight was replacing the nose and one main landing gear tire, servicing the brakes, a landing gear swing, replacement of burnt wiring in the right engine, and several maintenance engine runs. The Special Flight Permit was requested so the airplane could be ferried back to the mechanic’s hangar in Kingman, Kansas, for maintenance. The mechanic stated that he knew about the fuel leaks coming from the various tanks and further stated that it was an item to be fixed once the ferry flight was complete. Additionally, he and the owner spent several days vacuuming out various bird nests and debris from the airplane. During engine start, the mechanic stated that the pilot contacted him several times to ask about various issues, such as the location of the radio master switch, how to transfer fuel between fuel tanks, and the left vacuum pressure gauge being inoperative.

The Special Airworthiness Certificate: Special Flight Permit for a one-time maintenance ferry flight between GPH to Clyde Cessna Field (9K8) was issued by a Kansas City Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Standards District Office inspector on June 29, 2023, and then reissued on July 11, 2023, with an expiration date of July 23, 2023. The airplane was inspected, and a logbook entry was recorded with a tach time of 1192.2 hours by the mechanic on June 28, 2023, for the one-time ferry flight. Part of the logbook entry stated that the mechanic removed the emergency locator beacon (ELT) for repair during his inspection. However, postaccident examination showed that the ELT was in the airframe...