PIPER PA-22-108

Full Narrative

On August 18, 2011, at 1900 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-22-180, N5048Z, collided in the front yard of a private residence in the vicinity of Monmouth, Maine. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The uncertificated pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the airframe. The flight departed from an undisclosed location and at an undetermined time.

A witness stated he was mowing his grass when an airplane crashed in his front yard. The pilot exited the airplane and instructed him not to notify the police. The pilot left the scene and returned a short time later with another individual and a forklift. The airplane was removed from the residence and taken to a storage facility without authorization from law enforcement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or the NTSB. Attempts to locate the pilot have been unsuccessful.

FAA inspectors traveled to the storage facility to examine the wreckage, but did not find the wreckage or the pilot of the airplane. In a telephone conversation with the previous owner of the airplane, he stated to the FAA that the airplane was a Piper PA-22-180. He went on to say that the airplane was sold to a private individual, and did not have any other information about the airplane or accident. Repeated attempts to locate the airplane and the pilot were unsuccessful. Review of FAA records showed that the registration had been canceled by the previous owner and transferred to the new owner on June 30, 2010. No record of a bill of sale was recorded. According to the police report and the witness report, the gentleman flying the airplane at the time of the accident was the current owner of the airplane. Review of FAA records revealed no pilot certification for the operator of the mishap aircraft.