Piper PA-32-RT-300 accident near Blountville, Tennessee, February 7, 1996
On February 7, 1996 at about 8:45 am local time, a Piper PA-32-RT-300, registered N2200J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blountville, Tennessee (Tri-City Regional Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate maintenance, and subsequent in-flight separation of the cowling, due to worn cowling components.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 1996 · about 8:45 am local time
- Place
- Blountville, Tennessee · Tri-City Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-RT-300 PA-32-RT-3 · all PA-32-RT-300s on the register
- Registration
- N2200J · registry record · serial 32R798504
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The night instrument instruction flight was cruising at 9,000 feet, VFR on top, when the left half of the top engine cowling ripped off and lodged on the horizontal stabilizer. The airplane was difficult to control, and would not maintain level flight. The instructor and the student diverted to a nearby airport and landed uneventfully. An FAA inspector examined the airplane and stated that the left cowl pin was missing, but it did not fail, having been torn away along with the surrounding cowling material. The manager of the shop where the airplane was repaired stated that he had previously observed worn side latches and pin grommets that allowed the upper cowl pin to slide out of the lower pin hole, which would allow air flow to rip off the upper cowling. There were no FAA malfunction/defect reports of a similar failure, and the manufacturer did not have records of any previous failure.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,612 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 1,489 as pilot in command; 595 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,944 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 6, 1995; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BHM Birmingham AL at 6:15 am
- Destination: CHO Charlottesville VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from TRI, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N2200J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.