OpenAirDocs.org

20170528007859A

Accident · Destroyed
Open the Markdown

FAA accident report · Piper PA-36-300 · El Campo, TX · May 28, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
May 28, 2017 · 09:28 local
Place
El Campo, TX
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator
T0GG
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N3711E
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN17LA202
Reported as
Piper PA-36-300
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
450 total150 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days
N3711ERegistration cancelled Oct 28, 2019 · Piper PA-36-300S/N 36-7860044 · Built 1978Airframe modelPiper PA-36-300Engine modelLycoming IO-540 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The plane was located in the middle of a field, that was adjacent to the field the pilot was doing aerial application on. It was noted that the plane was resting under the area where a reposition turn would have occurred.

The highway patrol officer stated that some workers in the area stated they heard the engine sputter, but none of those people could be located.

An examination of the aircraft was completed and the following was observed:

1. The plane left wing impacted the ground first or just as the nose of the aircraft hit the ground.

2. The plane impacted the ground in a nose down attitude.

3. The gear and engine was dislocated from the plane.

4. The plane slideabout 20 to 30 feet, while rotating to the left 90 degrees.

5. The left wing?s rear attachment point was pushed into the fuselage.

6. The right wing?s rear attachment point was torn away from the fuselage.

7. There were no connection issues in the control surfaces.

8. The engine was upside down.

9. The bending of the propeller blades showed it was making power, when it hit the ground.

10. The GPS unit did not allow for the downloading of the aircraft flight information.

The position of the aircraft and impact marks on the ground are consistent with a stall/spin event. With the aircraft being in a repositioning turn, the stall/spin occurred at an altitude that would not have given the pilot time to recover.

As the FAA filed it

THE PLANE WAS LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIELD, THAT WAS ADJACENT TO THE FIELD THE PILOT WAS DOING AERIAL APPLICATION ON. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE PLANE WAS RESTING UNDER THE AREA WHERE A REPOSITION TURN WOULD HAVE OCCURRED.

THE HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER STATED THAT SOME WORKERS IN THE AREA STATED THEY HEARD THE ENGINE SPUTTER, BUT NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE COULD BE LOCATED.

AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS COMPLETED AND THE FOLLOWING WAS OBSERVED:

1. THE PLANE LEFT WING IMPACTED THE GROUND FIRST OR JUST AS THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND.

2. THE PLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE.

3. THE GEAR AND ENGINE WAS DISLOCATED FROM THE PLANE.

4. THE PLANE SLIDEABOUT 20 TO 30 FEET, WHILE ROTATING TO THE LEFT 90 DEGREES.

5. THE LEFT WING?S REAR ATTACHMENT POINT WAS PUSHED INTO THE FUSELAGE.

6. THE RIGHT WING?S REAR ATTACHMENT POINT WAS TORN AWAY FROM THE FUSELAGE.

7. THERE WERE NO CONNECTION ISSUES IN THE CONTROL SURFACES.

8. THE ENGINE WAS UPSIDE DOWN.

9. THE BENDING OF THE PROPELLER BLADES SHOWED IT WAS MAKING POWER, WHEN IT HIT THE GROUND.

10. THE GPS UNIT DID NOT ALLOW FOR THE DOWNLOADING OF THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT INFORMATION.

THE POSITION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND IMPACT MARKS ON THE GROUND ARE CONSISTENT WITH A STALL/SPIN EVENT. WITH THE AIRCRAFT BEING IN A REPOSITIONING TURN, THE STALL/SPIN OCCURRED AT AN ALTITUDE THAT WOULD NOT HAVE GIVEN THE PILOT TIME TO RECOVER.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN17LA202Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportEl Campo, TXFoam contamination in the fuel injector nozzles from deteriorated foam baffles and water in the fuel flow divider, the combination of which resulted in the loss of engine power.May 28, 2017 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N3711E · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20100624039309ITakeoff: Climb Out · Minden, NEOn June 24, 2010 at approximately 0915 CDT, the pilot of a Piper pa 36-300, N3711E, attempted to depart cavanaugh airfield with a load of insecticide while conducting 14 CFR 137 operations. On departure, the pilot climbed to an altitude of 100 feet AGL and…Jun 24, 2010 · Minor damage