N31407Piper PA-32-300

On September 30, 2024, about 1630 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300 airplane, N31407, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Caro, Michigan. The pilot was uninjured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 maintenance flight.

According to the pilot, the airplane had just completed a two-year maintenance event to Inspect, Repair as Necessary (IRAN) the Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 reciprocating engine. During the IRAN, the engine crankcase was repaired due to a bearing failure, magnetos overhauled, and the fuel injection servo was replaced twice.

On the day of the accident, the pilot’s mechanic had informed him that he needed to complete about five hours of flight time so the mechanic could inspect and fix any maintenance issues. The pilot stated that the takeoff and climb into the downwind leg was normal and that he was going to complete a traffic pattern back to Runway 6. During the downwind leg before reducing engine power to near idle and starting a decent, he noticed that the fuel flow indicator reading had dropped from 18 to 14 gallons-per-hour. The pilot stated there were no further abnormal indications from the engine until he tried to increase engine power on an extended two-mile final approach to runway 6. The engine did not respond to engine throttle control movements and the airplane subsequently had a complete loss of engine power. The pilot realized that he would not make the runway due to the distance and performed a forced off field landing.

During the forced landing, the pilot dove the airplane to gain airspeed to clear a tree line on the approach end of runway 6. The pilot stated that he held the airplane at the stall horn to clear the trees and hit the ground hard. The airplane bounced, the left main landing gear separated, and the airplane impacted the ground a second time a few hundred feet later. The airplane then slid and came to rest in a ditch abeam the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilizer and both wings.

The wreckage was retained for further examination.

On April 7, 2011, about 1140 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300, N31407, nosed over shortly after takeoff and impacted the runway. The airplane had just lifted off from runway 17 (5,001 feet by 100 feet, concrete) at Sundance Airport (HSD), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall during the accident sequence. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from HSD about 1130.

The pilot informed Federal Aviation Administration inspectors that he was performing takeoffs and landings (touch and goes) at the time of the accident. He stated that upon completion of the second touch and go, about 15 feet above ground level during the initial climb after lifting off, the nose of the airplane pitched down abruptly. The nose landing gear contacted the runway, followed immediately by the main landing gear. The airplane bounced and momentarily became airborne again. When it impacted the runway again, the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane veered to the left and came to rest in the grass area adjacent to the runway.

A postaccident examination revealed that a stabilator control cable had failed at a turnbuckle as a result of stress corrosion cracking.

The airplane was within the maintenance inspection requirements at the time of the accident, with the most recent annual inspection being completed approximately 1 year prior to the accident. The airplane service manual included a special control cable fitting inspection for airplanes in service 15 years or more. Any evidence of corrosion or cracking was cause for replacement according to the service manual. The accident pilot had owned the airplane for approximately 26 years. During the time he owned the airplane, the control cables had not been replaced.