Piper PA-31P accident near Kearney, MO
On July 20, 2023, a Piper PA-31P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Kearney, MO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 20, 2023
- Place
- Kearney, MO
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.364°N, 94.322°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230720192668
Official records · CEN23FA314
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
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 sha
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to operate an airplane with known fuel leaks, his failure to conduct an engine run-up before takeoff, his subsequent failure to abort the takeoff, and the mechanic’s inadequate maintenance, which resulted in a partial loss of right engine power during takeoff due to fuel starvation as a result of blocked fuel injector ports.
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Browse: Missouri · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
