# Accident 20180726018049A: Piper PA-24-250, Palatka, FL, July 26, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 26, 2018, 20:15 local time
- Place: Palatka, FL
- Airport: Palatka Municipal Kay Larkin
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.6564° N, 81.6886° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.6564&lon=-81.6886&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6427P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6427P-2019-06-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24-250 (registry code 7102404, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-24-250
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 704 total, 15 in this make and model, 15 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA18FA200](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18FA200) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180726018049A

## Narrative

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

ON JULY 26, 2018 ABOUT 2007 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-24-250, N6427P, WAS DESTROYED WHILE TAKING OFF FROM PALATKA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT-LT. KAY LARKIN FIELD (28J) PALATKA, FLORIDA. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED, VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91.

ACCORDING TO A WITNESS  WHO WAS IN HIS HANGAR APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS AWAY AND AIRPORT SECURITY TAPES, HE TOOK OFF WITH A HIGH AIRCRAFT PITCH ATTITUDE AND UPON REACHING APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET OF ALTITUDE, STALLED, SPUN AND IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AT A LOCATION APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET EAST OF RUNWAY 17,  NORTH OF TAXIWAY C2. ONE-HALF WAY DOWN THE FULL LENGTH OF RUNWAY 17/35. THE WITNESS STATED THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE WAS RUNNING AT FULL POWER FOR THE ENTIRE FLIGHT.

## 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 ERA18FA200](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18FA200), Jul 27, 2018: Piper PA24 (N6427P), Palatka, FL, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and a loss of control.

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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