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| Date: | Thursday 29 November 1990 |
| Time: | 10:16 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-31T Cheyenne II-XL |
| Owner/operator: | Century Life Of America |
| Registration: | N1879W |
| MSN: | 31T-8166065 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1982 |
| Engine model: | P&W PT6A-135 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Des Moines International Airport, Des Moines, Idaho -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Dane County Regional Airport, Madison, Wisconsin (MSN/KMSN) |
| Des Moines International Airport, Des Moines, Idaho (DSM/KDSM) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On final approach to Runway 30R at Des Moines, after being cleared to land, the pilot informed the controller that he might have to shut down an engine. He declined to declare an emergency or request assistance. On short final, the aircraft was observed to roll to the left and descend into the ground.
A subsequent examination revealed evidence that the left engine was not developing power, although the left propeller was not feathered, at impact. There was evidence that the right engine was producing high power during impact. No mechanical deficiency of the left engine or propeller was found
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER EMERGENCY PROCEDURES BY NOT FEATHERING THE LEFT ENGINE AFTER IT LOST POWER AND/OR WAS SHUT DOWN, AND HIS FAILURE TO KEEP THE AIRCRAFT AT OR ABOVE THE MINIMUM CONTROL AIRSPEED (VMC), WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: AN UNDETERMINED PROBLEM CONCERNING THE LEFT ENGINE THAT CAUSED IT TO LOSE POWER OR PROMPTED THE PILOT TO SHUT IT DOWN.
Registration N1879W cancelled by the FAA as "destroyed" on January 25, 1991
Sources:
1. NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X24589
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=1879W
3. http://www.ascendworldwide.com/download/Cust/WAAS167_Complete.pdf
4. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.baaa-acro.com/1990/archives/crash-of-a-piper-pa-31-cheyenne-in-des-moines-1-killed/]
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 06-Aug-2017 16:06 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Source] |
| 07-Sep-2017 22:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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