WPR20LA121 · Piper PA-32RT-300T

During a daytime visual flight rules cross-country flight, the pilot landed at an intermediate stop. He reported that, during landing, the “engine stopped,” which he assumed was due to the high-density altitude. The pilot restarted the engine, taxied to parking, and refueled the airplane. He did not report doing any troubleshooting to determine why the engine quit during landing. The pilot subsequently departed the airport and was conducting “S-turn climbs” to avoid terrain. The pilot reported that, as the airplane was about 11,000 ft mean sea level, the engine sputtered. The pilot advanced throttle, mixture, and propeller controls forward. Recorded engine data showed normal operational signatures, and an increase in fuel flow, manifold pressure, and engine rpm, consistent with the pilot’s action of advancing the engine controls. The pilot stated he turned to the right to avoid terrain and the stall warning activated during the turn. In response, he lowered the nose and decided to land in an area of snow-covered mountainous terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings.

Postaccident examination of the recovered airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Engine data showed the engine operated normally throughout the flight and there were no anomalies prior to the data ending that would indicate the engine “sputtered” as reported by the pilot.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset