Piper PA-31-350 accident near St. George, Utah, April 27, 2001
On April 27, 2001 at about 11:22 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N27367, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. George, Utah (St George Muni airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to sump all the fuel drains during preflight and the subsequent loss of power in the right engine during takeoff, the pilot feathering the wrong engine's propeller during the forced landing, the pilot improperly raising the landing gear with usable runway in front of him, and lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing. Contributing factors were the water in the fuel, the terrain induced turbulent cross wind condition, and the mountainous/hilly terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 2001 · about 11:22 pm local time
- Place
- St. George, Utah · St George Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N27367 · no longer on the register · serial 31-7852007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on runway 16, which is located on a narrow mesa (the surrounding terrain is 300 to 350 feet below). He said that immediately after takeoff, he experienced a loss of power on the right engine. The pilot feathered the propeller on the left engine and performed a forced landing. He had raised the landing gear with runway left to land on. The FAA Advisory Circular 61-21A, Flight Training Handbook states that the landing gear should not be raised until a safe landing can no longer be made on the remaining portion of the runway. Postaccident examination of both engines revealed no mechanical anomalies which might have affected their performance. Recovery personnel reported that both propellers were "dramatically" bent in the opposite direction of rotation. Additionally they found that the right wing root fuel sump valve was installed improperly, and was impossible to sump. When they removed the valve, they found that the fuel sample was approximately 25% water. The wind, at the time of the attempted takeoff, was 130 degrees at 21 gusting to 31 knots. The direct crosswind was calculated to be 16 knots, which was within the airplane's demonstrated crosswind limit of 20 knots.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,925 hours in all; 764 in this make and model; 146 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 14,588 as pilot in command; 951 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 28, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,236.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 13, 2001; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,268 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming LTIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming LTIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGU St. George UT
- Destination: SLC Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 19, 9,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 21 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
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.