# Accident 20130728015089A: Piper PA-28-140, Lafayette, IN, July 28, 2013

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 28, 2013, 10:52 local time
- Place: Lafayette, IN
- Airport: Timber House
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.2850° N, 86.8564° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.2850&lon=-86.8564&mi=10
- Aircraft: N286P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N286P-2018-03-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-140
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 213 total, 138 in this make and model, 7 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN13LA455](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13LA455) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130728015089A

## Narrative

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

ON JULY 28, 2013, AT APPROXIMATELY 14:52 UTC, A 1968 PIPER PA-28-140 AIRCRAFT, N286P WAS DESTROYED FOLLOWING A COLLISION WITH TERRAIN ON TAKEOFF.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED OUT OF TIMBER HOUSE AIRPORT (31IN) LOCATED NEAR ROMNEY, INDIANA.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91, AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.

THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS INJURED WITH A BROKEN WRIST.   THE OTHER THREE OCCUPANTS SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES.  ALL WERE TREATED AND RELEASED FROM A LOCAL HOSPITAL.

THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA.  THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE TOP OF A TREE APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, SHEARED OFF THE RIGHT WING, THEN STRUCK ANOTHER TREE SHEARING OFF THE LEFT WING.  THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST INVERTED, BUT INTACT.

THE PILOT STATED ?WE WERE ABLE TO GET TO THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND RECHECKED EVERYTHING PER THE CHECKLIST, THEN TOOK OFF WITH 2 SETS OF FLAPS IN FOR A SHORT FIELD TAKEOFF.  WE STARTED ROTATING AT 50 MPH AND THEN AT 60 MPH PLANE TOOK OFF, STILL BEHIND THE HALFWAY POINT ON THE RUNWAY.  SPEED INCREASED TO 74 MPH FOR BEST ANGLE, AND WE CLEARED THE TREES.  WE WERE FLYING AND I AM NOT SURE AT THAT POINT WHAT HAPPENED.  IT APPEARED TO BE EITHER DOWNDRAFT OR ENGINE LOSS, BUT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM AT ALL PRIOR TO THE MOMENT OF THE ACCIDENT.  I BELIEVE THAT THE PLANE LOST LIFT AND THEN WE WERE GOING DOWN THROUGH THE TREES.?

## 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 CEN13LA455](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13LA455), Jul 28, 2013: Piper PA-28-140 (N286P), Lafayette, IN, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed in gusting wind conditions during the initial climb after takeoff, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing…

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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