# Incident 20010804024069I: Piper PA32RT300, Abilene, TX, August 4, 2001

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 4, 2001, 23:37 local time
- Place: Abilene, TX
- Airport: Abilene Regional Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.4113° N, 99.6819° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ABILENE RGNL (ABI), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.4113&lon=-99.6819&mi=10
- Aircraft: N39540, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N39540) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32RT-300 (registry code 7103215, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32rt-300) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA32RT300
- People aboard: 6
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 20,000 total, 200 in this make and model, 35 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010804024069I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) PILOT OVER ROTATED DURING A NIGHT TAKEOFF, STALLED AND SETTLED BACK HARD ON THE LEFT MAIN GEAR AND TAIL. ONE ARM OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR CASTING FRACTURED AND THE TAIL CONE WAS DEFORMED AND DAMAGED. THE PILOT HAD LOADED THE AIRCRAFT TO 100 POUNDS BELOW GROSS WEIGHT, TOPPING THE LEFT WING FUEL TANK AND PARTIALLY FILLING THE RIGHT WING FUEL TANK TO MANAGE WEIGHT AND BALANCE. HE KNEW HE WAS HEAVY SO HE USED A FASTER AIRSPEED FOR ROTATION. WHEN HE MADE THE ROTATION HE PUT TOO MUCH ELEVATOR INPUT INTO THE MANEUVER, PLUS THE CENTER OF GRAVITY (CG) WAS IN THE AFT PORTION OF THE ENVELOPE. THE PILOT, 58 INCHES TALL, HAD DIFFICULTY SEEING OVER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IN THE DARKNESS AND THE VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT OF THE SEAT WAS INOPERATIVE, SO THE SEAT WAS IN THE FULL DOWN POSITION.

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.

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