Piper PA23 accident near Louisville, Kentucky, February 1, 2024
On February 1, 2024 at about 3:35 pm local time, a 1955 Piper PA23, registered N1317P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Louisville, Kentucky (Bowman Fld airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of maintenance personnel to thoroughly inspect and repair the worn-out panel fasteners and fastener holes.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 1, 2024 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Louisville, Kentucky · Bowman Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA23 150, built 1955 · all PA23s on the register
- Registration
- N1317P · registry record · serial 23-357
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After recently completed maintenance, and the pilot and pilot-rated passenger decided to take the airplane for a test flight. Both occupants reported that a preflight inspection was completed and that no anomalies were noted during the preflight. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot and passenger noticed that a large part of the right engine nacelle cover had departed from the airplane. They requested to return to land at the airport and made a subsequent uneventful landing. The pilot reported that there were no adverse control issues observed during the return for landing. A subsequent inspection of the airplane revealed that the nacelle panel had impacted the right side of the horizontal stabilizer, resulting in substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the right engine nacelle revealed that most of the inspection panel had separated from the nacelle and was not located; however, a small portion of the outboard section of the panel remained attached to the engine nacelle. The remaining portion of the panel displayed significant wear around the camlock and screw retention holes; at least one of the retention screw holes was significantly larger than the retention screw head. While the missing portion of the of the inspection panel was not available for examination, it is likely that the screw holes on this portion were similarly worn. This wear should have been apparent to maintenance personnel when inspecting the airplane (but likely would have been obscured by the engine cowling and not visible during a pilot’s preflight inspection). Based on this information, it is likely, that when exposed to high airflow during departure, a portion of the panel pulled out of the retention fasteners and was pulled out into the airstream, resulting in most of the panel being torn from the airframe.
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
What happened, in order
- 100050 during abrupt maneuver
- 350338 during loss of engine power
- 350900 during loss of engine power
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › Fasteners › Inadequate inspection
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › (general) › (general) › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, multi-engine sea, single-engine land, single-engine sea, AME, ASE, IAIR, APLN, helicopter, helicopter, SUAS
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 17, 2023
- Medical certificate: class 1
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, AME, ASE, IAIR, APLN, SUAS
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all
- Last flight review: August 15, 2023
- Medical certificate: class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,417.6 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, December 29, 2023; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: LOU Louisville KY at 3:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: nr
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°C, dew point 32°C
- Altimeter: 30.120001 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from LOU
Weather report (METAR): METAR KLOU 011453Z 17008KT 10SM CLR 03/00 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP204 T00330000 58009=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA24LA109.