N44601Piper PA-32-300 · 1974

On October 31, 2023, at 1123 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300, N44601, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Marion, Ohio. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

A witness stated he was standing outside his house when he heard an airplane flying in the distance and the engine sounded like it was oscillating. He looked up and saw the airplane flying south, before it began a left circling turn with a “white mist” trailing the airplane. He further stated that the engine “cut out” and the airplane went “nose down” and impacted the ground.

A residential video doorbell recorded the sound of the airplane before the impact. The video was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Vehicle Recorders Laboratory, Washington D.C., for a sound spectrum study. It was estimated that shortly before ground impact, the engine speed significantly exceeded its rated speed of 2,700 rpm. The accurate maximum speed could not be estimated because the analysis was based on recorded propeller blade passage frequency that was affected by Doppler frequency shifts of unknown magnitude. For further information, please see the Sound Spectrum Study in the public docket for this investigation.

The wreckage was located in an open field, about a ½-mile from a county road. The airplane impacted the ground in a steep, nose-down, near-vertical attitude. The magnetic heading was 090°. The engine and propeller were buried about 2 ft in the ground. A postimpact fire destroyed most of the airframe. The left wing displayed accordion crushing along the entire leading edge. The left wingtip fuel tank was destroyed by fire. The left aileron and flap remained attached to the wing and were partially consumed by fire. The right wing was destroyed by fire. The right wing remained attached to the left wing by the aileron crossover cable and by the flap torque tube. Flight control continuity was observed to all primary flight controls through frayed cables and fractured bell cranks.

The aileron control cables remained attached at both ends of the left and right bellcranks. The left aileron primary control cable separated near the junction with the control chain; the separated end displayed fraying and unraveling consistent with overload. The control chain was broken into several pieces. Separated ends of the aileron control chain revealed bending and fractures consistent with overload.

The manual flap selector was burned and deformed by impact forces. The flap selector was found in the 10° flaps extended position. The flap torque tube was impact damaged and the flap control chains were found off the sprockets. The right flap torque tube and control rod at the right-wing root displayed a flaps fully retracted position.

The rudder cables remained attached at the rudder horn and were continuous from that point to the rudder bar in the forward cabin. The rudder cables remained attached at the rudder bar.

The stabilator control cables were attached at the stabilator control tube and were observed to be continuous from the empennage to the control column in the forward cabin. The stabilator balance weight remained attached to the stabilator control tube.

The propeller hub was fragmented and separated from the engine flange. The intake and exhaust pipes were crushed and separated. The Nos. 2, 3 and 4 cylinders were impact damaged. The No. 1 cylinder head and valves were impact damaged. The No. 2 cylinder head was separated from the barrel and impact fragmented. The barrel remained attached to the engine crankcase. The No. 3 cylinder head and valves were impact damaged. The No. 4 cylinder, connecting rod, and piston were separated from the crankcase. A portion of the cylinder barrel flange and barrel remained attached to the crankcase. One connecting rod bolt was separated from the connecting rod and not observed. The rod was impact damaged. The No. 4 crankshaft rod journal was undamaged. No thermal discoloration or scoring of the journal surface was observed. The engine crankshaft could not be rotated by turning the propeller flange. The interiors of the cylinders, which remained attached to the engine, were observed using a lighted borescope and no anomalies were noted. Oil was observed in the engine. The oil suction screen contained ferrous and non-ferrous metallic debris.

The engine was further disassembled to facilitate the examination. The cylinders, oil sump and accessory case were removed. No damage to the cylinders, pistons or valves, other than impact damage was noted. The crankcase halves were separated and the crankshaft and camshaft removed. No damage to the crankshaft, crankshaft main journals, crankshaft bearings, or camshaft was noted. No indication of bearing thermal damage was noted. The engine oil pump was disassembled and no damage to the gears noted.

Toxicology testing performed on samples from the pilot revealed Atorvastatin in the liver and muscle tissue. Atorvastatin is a prescription medication commonly used to control cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular risk. Atorvastatin is not generally considered impairing.

Toxicology testing performed on samples from the pilot-rated passenger revealed Atorvastatin, loratadine, desloratadine, and warfarin in the liver and muscle tissue. Carvedilol was detected in the muscle tissue and not the liver tissue. Carvedilol is a prescription medication that can be used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. Atorvastatin, loratadine, desloratadine, warfarin, and carvedilol are not generally considered impairing.

The toxicology information for both the pilot and pilot-rated passenger provided no clear evidence of in-flight fire, and available information was not consistent with the occupants experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning; no soot was identified in the lungs.

The autopsy for both the pilot and passenger determined the cause of death to be multiple blunt force trauma.

A performance study was conducted for this investigation based on ADS-B data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration. The study calculated the airplane’s airspeed and heading, among other parameters. According to the study, the airplane departed Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, Ohio at 1058. The airplane climbed to 4,000 ft msl, then turned onto a northern course as it flew around Columbus to the west. It continued to climb to about 6,000 ft.

After reaching 6,000 ft, the airplane’s airspeed increased from 108 kts at 1107 to 125 kts at 1108. After some airspeed variation, the airplane settled at an airspeed of 110 kts while at a constant altitude and a ground track of 350° from 1113 to 1119. About 1120, the airplane’s airspeed began to decrease from 108 kts to 101 kts while track and altitude remained steady. The airplane then accelerated to 120 kts while turning right onto a heading of 36°. At 1121:45, the speed began to decrease and by 1121:55 the airplane was descending at a rate of 1,000 ft/min. While descending, the airplane’s airspeed stabilized near 100 kts before the data ended at 1122:26. The airplane’s descent and deceleration after 1121:50 indicated a reduction in total energy consistent with a loss of thrust.

The airplane’s Information Manual described that the airplane’s glide performance was 7.5 miles of range for every 5,000 ft of altitude lost for no flaps, no wind, propeller windmilling, and the airspeed maintained at between 90 – 100 mph (78 - 87 kts). During the descent that began at 1121:50, the airplane outperformed the reported glide performance while at an airspeed 10 kts faster than recommended and with a tailwind.

At the final ADS-B data point, the airplane was at an altitude of 5,475 ft and the ground elevation in the area was about 1,000 ft. At this point, the airplane’s reported glide range would have been 6.6 miles. At this altitude, the two closest airports – Marion Municipal Airport and Morrow County Airport – were both beyond the airplane’s glide performance. The airplane wreckage was located 4,800 ft from the final ADS-B return at an elevation of 951 ft msl and the wreckage indicated the airplane impacted nearly vertically on a heading of 90°.