# Accident 20010907027619A: Piper PA32R301T, Woodridge, IL, September 7, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 7, 2001, 11:45 local time
- Place: Woodridge, IL
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.7599° N, 88.0107° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.7599&lon=-88.0107&mi=10
- Aircraft: N81557, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N81557-2002-10-01) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32R-301T (registry code 7103220, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-301t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA32R301T
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI01FA312](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI01FA312) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010907027619A

## Narrative

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

(-23) PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD PERFORMED: PREFLIGHT INSPECTION; FUEL & OIL CHECK; BUT DID NOT CHECK TAKEOFF DISTANCE CHART NOR DID A WEIGHT AND BALANCE CALCULATION USING ACTUAL WEIGHTS OF PASSENGERS AND BAGGAGE. HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE WIND AND TAXIED TO OPPOSITE END OF FIELD TO CHECK WIND SOCK AND THEN TAXIED BACK TO RWY 27 FOR TAKEOFF. HE HELD BRAKES, ADDED POWER TO 35 INCHES OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE, RELEASED BRAKES AND ROTATED AT 70 KIAS. HE USED 10 DEGREES OF FLAPS AND AT HALF WAY DOWN THE RUNWAY HE ROTATED. HE CLIMBED IN TO GROUND EFFECT AND THEN COULD NOT ACCELERATE NOR MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. PLANE THEN HIT TREES, POWER LINES AND LANDED ABOUT 1/4 MILE WEST SOUTH WEST OF AIRPORT JUST SHORT OF A BUSY INTERSECTION. (.19) ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2001, AT 1153 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-32R-301T, N81557, PILOTED BY A PRIVATE PILOT, WAS DESTROYED ON IMPACT WITH TERRAIN DURING CLIMB FROM RUNWAY 27 (2,800 FEET BY 40 FEET, ASPHALT) AT THE BROOKRIDGE AIR PARK AIRPORT (LL22), DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TERRAIN IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD FOLLOWING AN IN-FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TREES AND A POWER LINE. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT                           THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS NOT OPERATING ON A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES, ONE PASSENGER WAS UNINJURED, AND THERE WERE NO GROUND INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM LL22 EN ROUTE TO MACKINAC ISLAND, MICHIGAN.

## 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 CHI01FA312](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI01FA312), Sep 7, 2001: Piper PA-32R-301T (N81557), Downers Grove, IL, destroyed. Probable cause: the improper preflight planning/preparation and the short field take off/procedure not followed by the pilot. Contributing factors were the airplane's forward center of gravity, the variable gusting…

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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