PRINEVILLE, OR, USA
N30511
PIPER PA-32RT-300T
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT MANEUVERING AT A LOW ALTITUDE, TRAILING WHITE SMOKE, WITH ROUGH ERRATIC ENGINE SOUNDS. A PVT PILOT REPORTED THE ACFT WAS FILLED WITH WHITE SMOKE. THE ACFT MADE A STEEP TURN, PITCHED NOSE UP, ROLLED INVERTED, AND DESCENDED NOSE DOWN TO IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED A FRACTURED COUPLING FLANGE ON THE LEFT INTERMEDIATE EXHAUST PIPE. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURED FLANGE REVEALED MULTIPLE ORIGIN FATIGUE FAILURE.
THE FAILURE OF THE LEFT INTERMEDIATE EXHAUST PIPE, IN-FLIGHT ENGINE FIRE AND SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT, RESULTING IN IMPAIRMENT OF THE PILOT AND HIS SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF CONTROL.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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