ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 133555
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| Date: | Wednesday 26 November 1997 |
| Time: | 07:22 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six |
| Owner/operator: | Pacific Islands Aviation |
| Registration: | N1256H |
| MSN: | 32-7740033 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7346 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-KIG5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Saipan Island -
 Northern Mariana Islands
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | 9695 |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On November 26, 1997, at 0722 hours local island time, a Piper PA-32-300, N1256H, experienced an engine failure while performing a maintenance test flight at the Marianas International Airport, Saipan, Marianas Protectorate. The commercial pilot subsequently ditched the aircraft approximately 1/2 mile off the southern tip of Saipan Island in the Saipan Channel. The aircraft, owned and operated by Pacific Island Aviation, Inc., sank and was not recovered. The pilot sustained minor injuries and was rescued by a private fishing vessel. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local test flight and no flight plan was on file.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector from the Honolulu Flight Standards District Office traveled to Saipan, interviewed the pilot and witnesses, and reviewed the aircraft maintenance and company flight operations records. In addition, the Safety Board obtained copies of certain maintenance and flight department records for review.
Another company pilot flew the accident aircraft in a revenue passenger flight on November 24, 1997. In an interview with the FAA inspector on December 5, 1997, this pilot stated that after leveling off and setting the engine power to cruise, he felt vibrations. He said that he did not know if the vibrations were coming from the engine or the airframe. The pilot reported that he heard a pitch change in the engine, reduced the power, and the vibrations continued. The pilot aborted the flight and returned to base, where he verbally reported the problem to the maintenance department. He stated that he did not write up the incident in the discrepancy log.
The maintenance department conducted an engine ground run and found the engine to be rough. The pilot who reported the problem stated in his interview that the aircraft was shaking during the maintenance ground run at full power.
The Safety Board conducted a review of the Operators' Inspection Discrepancy Records (IDR) and noted that there were two IDR's for this aircraft dated November 24, 1997. These two documents are appended to this file. The FAA inspector obtained the first document when he first reviewed the records. The company provided the second one to the Safety Board on May 25, 1998. Examination of the documents disclosed that they were essentially the same, except for item number 3. On the first document found by the FAA inspector, item 3 discrepancy states: "#5 cyl fuel injector nozzle uneven spray need replacement." The corrective action section states: "none in stock." On the second document provided to the Safety Board, discrepancy item 3 reads: "As per item 1." The corrective action section states: "Removed and re-cleaned fuel nozzles, reinstalled, leak tested. . .no leak, IAW PA-32-300 svc man 7A-22 to 7A-23. . .flushed servo unit screen, reinstalled, safetied IAW PA-32-300 svc man 7A-19. . .ground run up found normal, a/c needs fcf." The first document contains a corrective action entry number 4 not found in the second document, which states: "Cleaned fuel injection nozzles, performed compression check, flushed servo unit screen, ground run up ok. . .fcf."
Correspondence was sent to the Vice President of Technical Services for an explanation. A written statement was provided by the Vice President of Maintenance stating that he was not satisfied with the initial record and had asked the mechanic who had completed the work to describe the discrepancy and corrective action in more detail.
A review of the historical aircraft maintenance logs and IDR's further revealed that on August 8, 1997, a pilot reported that the magnetos dropped 300 rpm when the aircraft was set at full rich. The corrective action was to adjust the mixture and injectors and clean the clogged injectors. On the same day, it was also written up that the mixture control lever was stiff. Corrective action was to readjust and lubricate the mixture control lever.
On August 9, 1997, a pilot reported that the engine was running lean at
Sources:
NTSB id 20001208X09210
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 06-Jun-2022 06:39 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 28-Sep-2023 06:48 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Location, Narrative]] |
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