NTSB Factual Report

On April 21, 2014, about 1400 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-30 airplane, N7880Y, sustained substantial damage following an uncontrolled descent and impact with terrain during an attempted go-around at the Sun Valley Airport (A20), Bullhead City, Arizona. The certified private pilot, who was the registered owner and sole occupant of the airplane, sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the repositioning flight, which was being operated in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and a flight plan was not filed. The repositioning flight had departed the Lake Havasu City Airport (LII), Lake Havasu, Arizona, about 1345, with A20 as its destination.

In a statement provided to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), the 82-year old pilot reported that about 8 days prior to the accident, he and his wife had flown the airplane from A20 to LII, and while turning onto final approach the left engine failed, followed by a failure of the right engine on short final; both propellers went to feather and the pilot landed uneventfully. The pilot stated that the next day he had a local [airframe and powerplant] mechanic look at the airplane. Maintenance personnel subsequently worked on the airplane and told the pilot that it was "ready to go." As the mechanic who had worked on the airplane was not present, the pilot's wife queried another mechanic as to what had caused the problem, to which he replied that he didn't know. The pilot reported that when he went back out to the airplane and started the right engine, "…the same thing happened. The throttle was in the down position and it was screaming, and the prop back into feather." The pilot opined that he and his wife then left the airplane at the maintenance facility "…for them to figure out what was wrong." The pilot stated that a couple of days later the mechanic told him that both magnetos were being sent out to be examined. About a week later the pilot was informed that maintenance personnel had run the engines several times and that they "check out good."

The pilot reported that on the day of the accident he departed LII for A20 about 1345, and that about 12 minutes into the flight it became difficult to keep the propellers in synchronization. The pilot further stated that upon approaching A20 he flew over the airport to check the wind direction, and then turned downwind for runway 36. The pilot stated that while turning final from base leg the turbulence became extreme. He added power to stay over the runway, tried to slow down to land, but knew he would come down close to the end of the runway if he tried to land. The pilot reported that during the aborted landing and subsequent go-around he pushed the throttles full forward, "…and it seemed like the airplane would not fly. It was like being pushed down. That is when I started looking for a place to put it down." The pilot added that he wasn't sure if the engines completely failed or not, however, he said "I just know I didn't have any power."

In a statement provided to the NTSB IIC, an airframe and powerplant mechanic located at LII, who had worked on the airplane about a week prior to the accident when the pilot reported that both engines had quit on final approach to LII, reported that when he first looked at the airplane, the right propeller [control lever] was pulled back into the feather position. The mechanic stated that he started the engine and that it ran normal; he also noted that the right fuel selector was placed in between detents. The mechanic opined that when he spoke with the pilot, the pilot seemed confused about what lever controlled the manifold pressure (MAP), and [which one controlled] the engine revolutions per minute (RPM). The mechanic stated that the pilot said that he had previously owned a Beechcraft Baron, in which the throttles and propeller levers are opposite the position that they are on the PA-30; the throttle is in the middle and the propeller controls are on the left side. The mechanic further stated that during the conversations with both the pilot and his wife, it appeared that there was a lot of confusion about what was happening. The mechanic reported that he is an airline transport pilot and a flight instructor with thousands of hours, and he could not make sense of what the pilot was telling him. The accident pilot then asked him to look at it [the airplane] again, which he did, and reported that the right engine magneto had a drop of about 300 rpm. The mechanic subsequently removed both magnetos and had them sent to Arizona Air-Craftsman for repair. After the repair, the mechanic checked the compression, magneto harness, and the spark plugs, which were in good condition. Both engines were then run from idle to full power, with operational checks deemed normal. Additionally, the left mixture cable was found to be stiff, but a pressure lube of the cable resulted in the operation being normal. The mechanic also replaced the right mixture rod end because it was broken. The mechanic further reported that he ran the engines at least 5 times to full power, cycled the propellers multiple times back to an idle, and every time both engines operated normally. Oil pressure was good and the engines seemed to make good power. Magneto drops were within limits.

In a report submitted to the NTSB IIC, as well as in a telephone conversation the day following the accident, a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector reported that during an interview with the pilot, it was discovered that the pilot had improperly used the propeller controls as throttle controls, with both throttles in the full forward position for the entire time of the flight. The inspector stated that the pilot had retarded both propeller controls to full feather upon touching down on the runway, and then abruptly advanced them to initiate the go-around; the pilot had used the throttle and propeller controls directly opposite in the manner in which they should have been used. The inspector reported that the left propeller blades were in the feathered position, and that the right propeller blades were observed in low pitch. The inspector further reported that it was learned that the pilot had an extensive amount of flight time in a Beechcraft Baron multiengine airplane, in which the configuration of the propeller and throttle controls are directly opposite that of the accident airplane's propeller/throttle control configuration.

A postaccident examination of the airplane by the inspector revealed that flight and engine control continuity were confirmed, the fuel system appeared to have a sufficient quantity available, and that the fuel tanks were sumped with no contaminants observed to be present in the fuel drained. Additionally, the inspector reported that both engines were visually inspected with no anomalies noted that would have precluded normal operation. No anomalies with the airplane were reported that would have precluded normal operation.

The weather reporting facility at the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport (IFP), Bullhead City, Arizona, which is located about 9 nautical miles north of the accident side, indicated that from about 30 minutes prior to the time of the accident until about 30 minutes after the accident, winds were from the southwest at between 8 to 12 knots, with sustained gusts of 19 knots.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's mismanagement of the throttle and propeller controls during the attempted go-around after encountering turbulence, which resulted in his failure to maintain adequate airspeed and climb rate and a subsequent forced landing and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of knowledge about the airplane’s equipment.