Piper PA-46-310P accident near Gainesville, Texas, November 27, 2000
On November 27, 2000 at about 5:13 am local time, a Piper PA-46-310P, registered N9298Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gainesville, Texas (Gainesville Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the loss of engine power due to improper splicing of the TIT thermocouple leads by unknown persons, which led to over temperature operation of the engine due to inaccurate TIT gauge readings. Contributing factors were the manufacturer's stamp on the top of the piston, which created a stress riser leading to fatigue cracking of the piston, and the lack of suitable 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
- November 27, 2000 · about 5:13 am local time
- Place
- Gainesville, Texas · Gainesville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-310P · all PA-46-310Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9298Y · no longer on the register · serial 86-8608034
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise on a night cross-country flight, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot attempted a forced landing to a nearby airport, however, the airplane touched down in a field short of the runway. The engine had accumulated 265.5 hours since factory remanufacture. During examination of the engine, the number 3 connecting rod was found separated from the crankshaft. The number 4 piston exhibited a hole burned through the crown structure of the piston. The hole was located along a crack that extended across the top of the piston, in-line with the piston pin. Metallurgical examination determined that fatigue cracking of the piston initiated from a stamp mark "4" on the top surface of the piston. The stamp mark, which was made by the manufacturer during engine buildup, acted as a stress raiser and was responsible for initiation of the crack. Once the crack extended to the interior surface of the piston, hot combustion gasses created the burn through hole and escaped into the crankcase, leading to engine failure. The accident airplane had experienced a previous in-flight engine failure in which an engine teardown revealed a piston with a burned through hole in the crown structure of the piston. This engine had accumulated 640 hours since factory remanufacture; however, this piston did not have any stamp marks on its top surface. The Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT) gauge, thermocouple, and probes were removed from the accident airplane, and the thermocouple leads were found spliced in two locations. According to the aircraft's maintenance manual, faulty thermocouple leads should be replaced. They should never be spliced, as this will change the resistance of the leads, which is critical for the proper operation of the TIT gauge. The pilot stated that he followed the leaning procedure in the airplane's operating handbook and leaned the engine by referencing the TIT gauge.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,933 hours in all; 531 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 61 in the last 30 days; 1,849 as pilot in command; 74 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 3, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-550-C(1) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWA Oklahoma City OK at 4:20 am
- Destination: ADS Addison TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 35, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 113°F (45°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.