Sun Valley Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Bullhead City, Arizona 86442
Monday, April 21, 2014 13:45 MST

On April 21, 2014, about 1345 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-30 airplane, N7880Y, sustained substantial damage following a forced landing and impact with terrain after a reported loss of engine power during a go-around at the Sun Valley Airport (A20), Bullhead City, Arizona. The pilot, who was the registered owner and sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the repositioning flight, which was being operated in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and a flight plan was not filed. The repositioning flight departed the Lake Havasu City Airport (LII), Lake Havasu, Arizona, about 1330, with A20 as its destination. In a telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot reported that while on final approach and over runway 36 at A20, he observed that he was high and fast. The pilot stated that immediately after advancing the throttles to go around, both engines quit; the pilot then performed a forced landing to the north of runway 36. The airplane came to rest upright in bare desert terrain about 1 mile from the departure end of the runway. The pilot further reported that about a week prior to the accident, he had experienced a duel engine failure while on short final to LII. The pilot stated that after landing uneventfully, the airplane was towed to a local aircraft maintenance facility where maintenance was performed; the extent of the maintenance is under review by the NTSB and the FAA. The repositioning/accident flight from LII to A20 was the first flight subsequent to the completion of the maintenance at LII. A Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector performed an initial examination of the airplane subsequent to its recovery to the pilot's hangar at A20. The inspector reported that the airplane had sustained substantial damage to its wings and empennage as a result of the forced landing, that the left propeller blades were observed in the feathered position, and that the right propeller blades were in low pitch. The inspector also reported that after draining fuel from both the left and right fuel tanks, no water or sediment was observed. At 1335, the weather reporting facility at the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport (IFP), Bullhead City, Arizona, which is located about 9 nautical miles north of the accident site, reported wind 210 degrees at 8 knots, gusts to 19 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 34° Celsius (C), dew point 3° C, and an altimeter setting or 29.91 inches of mercury.

Not Yet Reported