N9227DPiper PA-22-160 · 1958

On January 13, 2019, about 1100 mountain standard time, a Piper PA22-160 airplane, N9227D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hualapai, Arizona. The pilot sustained serious injuries, and the passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

On the morning of the accident, the airplane departed Pearce Ferry Airport (L25), Meadview, Arizona, and at 1001, the passenger sent her sister a text stating that they were airborne. The sister reported that, at 1038, the passenger telephoned a relative while on the ground at Kingman Airport (IGM), Kingman, Arizona and told him that they either got fuel or attempted to get fuel and planned to depart IGM and fly to Glendale Municipal Airport (GEU) Glendale, Arizona, about 132 miles southeast of IGM. The actual time that the flight departed IGM could not be determined, but the sister expected the airplane to arrive at GEU about 1130. About 1215, the sister called the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office and search and rescue to report the airplane was overdue.

According to a first responders' report, the pilot had crawled from the wreckage location to the road, and then flagged down a passerby, who in turn called 911. The pilot reported to the first responders that the airplane experienced an electrical failure and that he tried to turn around, however the engine lost power. The airplane subsequently impacted the bottom of a ravine about 10 miles south-southeast of IGM.

Several attempts were made to obtain a statement from the pilot however he refused to provide any information to the investigation.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicated that the pilot was issued a combined medical and student pilot certificate in January 2014. FAA regulations prohibit student pilots from carrying passengers. The pilot provided no training or flight experience information to investigators.

The pilot reported no medical conditions or use of medications on his third-class medical certificate application. However, a review of his medical records noted that he had diabetes and used fast-acting insulin and an insulin pump. A family member of the passenger corroborated these findings.

According to 14 CFR 67.313(a), diabetes is disqualifying for a third-class medical certificate if it requires treatment with insulin or other blood-glucose-lowering medication and that a person may not act as pilot-in-command while that person knows or has any reason to know of a disqualifying medical condition or is taking a disqualifying medication.

On October 30, 2018, the passenger purchased the airplane. An FAA "deregistration" letter dated December 31, 2018, that was addressed to the passenger stated that the registration was suspended because it had not been renewed following the October 2018 transfer/sale to her.

Each fuel tank had a total capacity of 18 gallons and was equipped with a dedicated filler port with a removable cap. Each cap installed into its respective filler neck by aligning the two cap tabs with the two slots in the filler neck, and then pushing down and rotating the cap to lock it in place.

On October 30, 2018, the passenger purchased the airplane. An FAA "deregistration" letter dated December 31, 2018, that was addressed to the passenger stated that the registration was suspended because it had not been renewed following the October 2018 transfer/sale to her.

Each fuel tank had a total capacity of 18 gallons and was equipped with a dedicated filler port with a removable cap. Each cap installed into its respective filler neck by aligning the two cap tabs with the two slots in the filler neck, and then pushing down and rotating the cap to lock it in place.

The airplane came to rest inverted at the bottom of a ravine in Hualapai Mountain Park, Hualapai, Arizona. The accident site was about 9.8 nautical miles from IGM on a true bearing of 165°. The site elevation was about 6,500 ft mean sea level.

Almost all of airplane components remained attached to the wreckage. The right wing and empennage were severely crushed and deformed. The fuselage and left wing were moderately crushed or deformed. The engine remained attached to the airframe, and the propeller remained attached to the engine. No fuel was recovered from the airplane.

Flight control continuity was confirmed for the ailerons, flaps, elevator, elevator trim, and rudder. However, proper routing could not be confirmed due to impact and recovery damage. The flaps were found in the fully retracted position.

The instrument panel was partially deformed, but all avionics and instruments remained mounted in the panel. The cockpit throttle control was set to idle, and the mixture was set to full rich; both were immobilized by impact damage. The primer knob was in and locked. The carburetor heat knob was set to off. The magneto switch was set to both. The fuel selector valve assembly was found in its normal location in the left lower forward cabin wall. The handle was found positioned near the detent for the left tank. The valve was removed and tested for blockage; no blockage was noted in either the left or right tank detent. Some impedance was noted when the selector was positioned to the as-found setting, and an examination of the valve port revealed that the port was about 40% occluded at this setting. The valve handle was difficult to move. The fuel lines were found securely attached to the valve. No fuel was noted in the fuel selector or adjacent lines, and no evidence of any fuel leaks was found.

Neither fuel tank cap was found. When a donor fuel cap was installed on the two filler necks, it rotated smoothly and locked into place.

The engine remained attached to the airframe by the engine mount and had been pushed aft, deforming the firewall. The engine sustained impact damage at the forward bottom area, which separated the airbox and carburetor bowl from the carburetor.

All the spark plugs displayed normal operating signatures. The crankshaft rotated easily by hand. The complete valve train operated in proper sequence, no mechanical malfunctions were observed, and "thumb" compressions were obtained in proper sequence on all cylinders. Clean, uncontaminated oil was observed at all four rocker box areas, and mechanical continuity was established throughout the rotating group, valve train, and accessory section during hand rotation of the crankshaft.

Both magneto drives were intact and undamaged. During hand rotation, both magnetos produced sparks at their spark plug leads. Borescope inspection of the combustion chambers and valves revealed that they were mechanically undamaged with no evidence of foreign object ingestion or detonation. The combustion signatures observed at the spark plugs, combustion chambers, and exhaust system components displayed coloration consistent with normal operation with no oil residue was observed. The exhaust system and mufflers were found unobstructed.

The propeller remained mounted to the crankshaft. The spinner remained attached to the propeller backing plate and was crushed aft, with no circumferential scoring. The backing plate/engine mounting flange was fractured. One propeller blade was straight, with no chordwise scraping or leading-edge damage. The other propeller blade was bent slightly aft, displayed no obvious leading-edge damage, and showed a series of spanwise scrapes.

Examination revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

A review of the pilot's hospital records revealed that his initial postaccident laboratory testing detected blood glucose levels that were greater than twice the normal maximum and that he used an insulin pump. The hospital records indicated that a blood test was negative for ethanol; this result was published about 2.5 hours after the accident and did not indicate the time that the sample was collected. A urine drug screen was negative for all other screened drugs.