ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 182034
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| Date: | Tuesday 27 May 1997 |
| Time: | 19:00 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain |
| Owner/operator: | Sundance Air |
| Registration: | N491SC |
| MSN: | 31-7405225 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 15061 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming T10-540-32BD |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 30 miles North of Greeley, Colorado -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Scottsbluff, NE (KBFF) |
| Colo Springs, CO (COS | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot said that while in cruise flight, he observed the left front portion of the left engine cowling starting to come loose. After receiving clearance from air traffic control, he started to divert to the nearest suitable airport. Shortly thereafter, the left cowling completely separated from the aircraft and struck the vertical stabilizer. Postaccident inspection disclosed the outboard cowling latches were in the UNLOCKED position, and the inboard latches were in the LOCKED position. A portion of the cowling remained attached via the inboard latches. The pilot said he checked the cowling latches during his preflight inspection and they were all in the LOCKED position. Orange stripes had been painted across the latches to visually indicate LOCKED and UNLOCKED positions.
Probable Cause: unlatching of the left outboard engine cowling latches for undetermined reason(s), which allowed the left engine cowling to separate inflight and strike the vertical stabilizer.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW97LA206
FAA register: 2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=491SC
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Dec-2015 12:56 | JINX | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 14-Oct-2017 17:08 | TB | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 14-Oct-2017 18:35 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Oct-2017 18:40 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Apr-2024 15:18 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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