Piper PA-32-300 accident near Helena, Alabama, July 31, 2014

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot reported that he had the airplane completely fueled before departing on a cross-country flight. The departure was uneventful, and the airplane was cruising about 2,500 ft above ground level and was about 2 hours into the planned 3 hour 30 minute flight when the pilot noted that the engine power did not seem correct despite all of the gauges indicating normal. He chose to divert to a nearby airport; however, the engine began to lose power at that point, and it then lost all power as the airplane was descending toward the airport. The airplane subsequently impacted trees about 1 mile south of the airport, and a postcrash fire consumed the wreckage. A witness near the accident site reported observing the engine sputtering and black smoke emanating from the right side of the airplane as it flew overhead. Examination of the engine revealed that one propeller blade was bent aft and exhibited chordwise scratches. The other blade exhibited an outward bend at the tip. The top spark plugs were removed; all of their electrodes were intact and gray or oil-soaked in color, except for the No. 6 spark plug, which exhibited dark soot. Further examination of the No. 6 cylinder did not reveal any other anomalies. The valve covers were removed, and oil was noted throughout the engine. When the propeller was rotated by hand, camshaft, crankshaft, and valve train continuity were confirmed to the rear accessory section, and thumb compression was attained on all cylinders. The magnetos, engine-driven fuel pump, vacuum pump, and fuel injector exhibited thermal damage from the postcrash fire and could not be tested. The postcrash fire damage precluded a determination of the cause of the loss of engine power.

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.