# Accident 20090817013609A: Piper PA24180, Prescott, AZ, August 17, 2009

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 17, 2009, 14:50 local time
- Place: Prescott, AZ
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.6397° N, 112.4097° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.6397&lon=-112.4097&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6304P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6304P-2010-07-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24 (registry code 7102402, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA24180
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 750 total, 0 in this make and model, 2 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR09FA400](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR09FA400) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090817013609A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON THE 17 AUGUST 2009 AT 1448, MR. ARMOR DEPARTED RWY 21L AT KPRC WHEN THE PA24-180 HE WAS FLYING STRUCK THE GROUND KILLING BOTH PEOPLE ON BOARD.  ACCORDING TO EYE WITNESS STATEMENTS, UPON DEPARTURE FROM RWY 21L THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED TO 150 FT APPROX 4000 FT DOWN THE RUNWAY.  THE LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED AND THE AIRPLANE STARTED A SHALLOW LEFT BANK TO A HEADING OF 120 DEGREES.  THE TRACK WAS PARALLEL TO AND ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF RWY 12/30.  ON THIS HEADING, THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN PITCHING UP AND DOWN RAPIDLY.  IT WAS ALSO NOTED, BEFORE THE LEFT TURN AND FOR THE REST OF THE FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS VERY SLOW AND HAD A HIGHT ANGLE OF ATTACK.  MR. ARMOR THEN MADE HIS LAST RADIO CALL TO THE TOWER "COMANCHE ZERO FOUR PAPA HAS TO COME BACK".  ATC CLEARED THE AIRCRAFT TO LAND ON RWY 30.  RWY 30 IS 180 DEGREES FROM THE DIRECTION OF TRAVL AND WAS THE RUNWAY NEAREST THE AIRCRFT.  THE AIRCRAFT THEN BANKED AGAIN TO THE LEFT AND DESCENDED UNTIL IT IMPACTED THE GROUND APPROX 500 FT TO THE NORTH EAST OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 30.  RECORDS SHOW THE PILOT HAD TOPPED BOTH WING TANKS WITH FUEL PRIOR TO DEPARTURE.  BOTH PEOPLE IN THE AIRCRAFT WEIGHTED APPROXIMATELY 200 LBS AND THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS 7900 FT.

## 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 WPR09FA400](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR09FA400), Aug 17, 2009: Piper PA-24 (N6304P), Prescott, AZ, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering to return to the runway at a high density altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

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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