# Accident 20000907040809A: Piper PA60601P, North Hampton, MA, September 7, 2000 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: September 7, 2000, 07:55 local time - Place: North Hampton, MA - Airport: North Hampton Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 42.3280° N, 72.6112° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at , within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.3280&lon=-72.6112&mi=10 - Aircraft: N601WK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N601WK-2002-10-16) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper AEROSTAR 601P (registry code 7106012, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-aerostar-601p) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA60601P - Reported engine: LYC IO540* - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 4,280 total, 2,641 in this make and model, 41 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC00LA252](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC00LA252) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000907040809A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.4) THE AIRPORT CONSISTED OF A SINGLE RUNWAY ORIENTED ON A HEADING OF 140/320 DEGREES. A TAXIWAY ORIENTED ON A 120 DEGREE HEADING INTERSECTED THE RUNWAY AT ITS MIDPOINT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS 500-1,000 FEET WITH FOG AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE. BEFORE HE TOOK OFF, THE PILOT ASKED HIS PASSENGER TO WALK THE LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY TO OBSERVE ANY OBSTRUCTIONS, DUE TO THE REDUCED VISIBILITY. THE PILOT THEN TAXIED TO THE RUN-UP PAD, SET THE HEADING OF HIS HSI TO 120 DEGREES, AND INITIATED THE TAKEOFF. WHEN THE AIRSPEED REACHED 80 KNOTS, THE PILOT REALIZED HE HAD INITIATED THE TAKEOFF ON THE TAXIWAY INSTEAD OF THE RUNWAY. HE ABORTED THE TAKEOFF AND ATTEMPTED TO MANEUVER THE AIRPLANE TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE CROSSED THE RUNWAY, IMPACTED A TREE, AND CAME TO REST UPRIGHT IN A CORNFIELD. THE WEATHER REPORTED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AT AN AIRPORT 9 MILES AWAY WAS: WIND FROM 320 DEGREES AT 2 KNOTS; VISIBILITY 1/16 MILE WITH FOG; SKY PARTIALLY OBSCURED; CEILING 200 FEET OVERCAST. (-23) I IIC (DAVID R CARREAU), ARRIVED ON SCENE AT NORTH HAMPDEN, MA AIRPORT (7B2) AT APPROXIMATELY 9:25 AM EST. THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES INCLUDED THE NO RTH HAMPDEN FIRE DEPARTMENT LEAD BY FIRE CHIEF ^PRIVACY DATA OMI^ AND A MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE OFFICER ^PRIVACY DATA O^ THE PILOT (PIC) FRANCIS I. BLAIR AND (PASSENGER) HIS SON ^PRIVACY DAT^ HAD ESCAPED FROM THE WRECKAGE WERE ALSO PRESENT WITH NO INJURIES TO GREET ME. THEY WERE MENTALLY COHERENT, BUT PHYSICALLY TRAUMATIZED FROM THE AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT. MY FIRST QUESTION TO THE PIC WAS: "HAVE YOU EVER LANDED OR TAKEN OFF FROM THIS PARTICULAR AIRFIELD (7B2)?" HIS REPLY WAS: "ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO." HE STATED HE HAD FLOWN IN AND OUT OF THIS PARTICULAR AIRFIELD (7B2) ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO. THE PASSENGER, ^PRIVACY DAT^ HIS SON, (WHO WAS ALSO PRESENT DURING THE PIC INTERVIEW), LAUGHED WHEN I ASKED THE PIC THE QUESTION PERTAINING TO TAKE-OFF AND LANDINGS FROM THIS AIRPORT. THE PIC STATED THAT HE OBSERVED A 120 DEGREE COMPASS HEADING FROM HIS DIRECTIONAL GYRO INSTRUMENT IN THE AIRCRAFT COCKPIT, BUT HIS ORIGINAL FLIGHT PLAN WAS TO TAKE-OFF FROM RUNWAY RW 14, THE INSTRUMENT READING SHOULD HAVE BEEN 143 DEGREES IF LINED-UPON THE RUNWAY. I ASKED THE PIC AFTER OBSERVING THIS HEADING FROM THE DIRECTIONAL INSTRUMENT IN THE COCKPIT WHEN TAXXING: "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING AT THIS POINT IF YOU OBSERVED A 120 DEGREE HEADING INSTEAD OF 143?" HE STATED: "I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED TAXIING OF THE AIRCRAFT IF I WASN'T SURE OF MY DIRECTIONAL HEADING." I ALSO ASKED HIM IF HE KNEW AT THE TIME OF TAXIING IF THE AIRCRAFT WAS ACTUALLY ON THE TAXIWAY" HE HAD NO RESPONSE. HE HAD ORIGINALLY FILED A FLIGHT PLAN WITH BDL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER WITH A VOID TIME OF 1153 ZULU USING INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES (IFR). THE PASSENGER, HIS SON ^PRIVACY DAT^ STATED THATTHE PIC HAD HIM GET OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING TAXIING TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY OBSTRUCTIONS IN FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE PRECEEDING TO A TAKE-OFF. THE PIC'S ATTEMPTED TAKE-OFF DEPARTURE PATH FROM THE TAXIWAY WAS EVIDENTLY MARKED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE WITH MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE SKIDS ACROSS RUNWAY (RW14) FROM THE TAXIWAY. THE AIRCRAFT'S LANDING GEAR TIRE INDENTATIONS WERE IN THE GRASS IN THE DIRECTION TO THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE RUNWAY FOR ABOUT ANOTHER 400 FEET. THE LINE OF FOLIAGE ADJACENT TO THE EDGE OF THE AIRFIELD HAD BEEN REMOVED DURING THE AIRCRAFT'S LOW PARTIAL FLIGHT BY THE AIRCRAFT'S MAIN LEFT WING. THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT MAIN WING IMPACTED THE LINE OF FOLIAGE ADJACENT TO THE GRASS FOR APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER 440 FT., THEN THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED HORIZONTAL ACROSS A DIRT ROAD ADJACENT TO THE EDGE OF A CORNFIELD. THE AIRCRAFT LAY RESTING IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION ON THE LOWER FUSELAGE SKIN WITH MAIN LANDING GEAR RETRACTED, AND NOSE LANDING GEAR FOLDED TO THE LEFT UNDER THE FUSELAGE NOSE. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB NYC00LA252](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC00LA252), Sep 7, 2000: Piper PA-60-601P (N601WK), Northampton, MA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's improper preflight planning which resulted in an attempted takeoff from a taxiway. A factor in the accident was the fog. ## Other reports on N601WK (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19831108070529I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19831108070529I), Nov 8, 1983: Piper PA60601P (N601WK), Mason City, IA. Lost an alternator on climbout. Continued flight then lost the other alternator due to overload. Defective diodes. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.