What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The aircraft was on a cross country flight from santa fe, NM to goodyear, AZ with 3 souls aboard when it landed at st. Johns, AZ (sjn) for fuel.
After fueling the pilot attempted to takeoff on rwy 21(3400 ft), but aborted because the aircraft was not accelerating. The pilot then opted to take off on rwy 14 (5322 ft).
In a statement from the back seat passenger he said the aircraft took off & began to climb out when he felt the aircraft shudder. Then the aircraft banked in a sudden left turn just before contacting trees where it flipped on its back and came to rest.
The owner of the aircraft (also rated pilot) was seated in the front passenger seat; and recalled 'on takeoff/initial climb the stall warning horn sounded, followed by the left seat pilot-in-command telling him, ''you'd better take it.' This was followed almost immediately by the aircraft stalling and colliding with a stand of cottonwood trees.'
Weather for the st. Johns airport at the time of the accident was: wind 180 degrees @ 5 knots, sky clear, visibility 10 miles, temp 31 degrees celsius, dew point 3 degrees celsius, altimeter 30.10 inches of mercury. Sjn airport elevation is 5733 ft MSL. Calculated density altitude at the time of takeoff was 8,626 ft.
Inspection of aircraft wreckage noted that the LH wing had suffered crushing damage on the inboard leading edge near the strut attachment area, and was missing the outboard half of the wing. The rest of the LH outboard wing had separated from the aircraft and had a crushing indentation at the most inboard section where the wing was separated. The separated portion of the wing was resting halfway along the flight path between a set of cottonwood trees which had been impacted and the final resting point of the aircraft. Additionally the LH horizontal surface & elevator was found directly under the set of cottonwood trees with a single crushing indentation on the leading edge, midway along the length of the control surface which corresponded to the diameter of one of the broken tree trunks.
Upon contact with the ground the propeller and engine were shoved upwards as the aircraft flipped over on its back. One propeller blade was bent backward almost 90 degrees.
The remaining tail empennage was detached and lying sideways under the inverted fuselage. Large tree branches were found resting on the underside of the intact RH wing which had not separated from the fuselage, but had sustained damage to the wing lift strut.
As the FAA filed it
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT FROM SANTA FE, NM TO GOODYEAR, AZ WITH 3 SOULS ABOARD WHEN IT LANDED AT ST. JOHNS, AZ (SJN) FOR FUEL.
AFTER FUELING THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TAKEOFF ON RWY 21(3400 FT), BUT ABORTED BECAUSE THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT ACCELERATING. THE PILOT THEN OPTED TO TAKE OFF ON RWY 14 (5322 FT).
IN A STATEMENT FROM THE BACK SEAT PASSENGER HE SAID THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF & BEGAN TO CLIMB OUT WHEN HE FELT THE AIRCRAFT SHUDDER. THEN THE AIRCRAFT BANKED IN A SUDDEN LEFT TURN JUST BEFORE CONTACTING TREES WHERE IT FLIPPED ON ITS BACK AND CAME TO REST.
THE OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT (ALSO RATED PILOT) WAS SEATED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT; AND RECALLED 'ON TAKEOFF/INITIAL CLIMB THE STALL WARNING HORN SOUNDED, FOLLOWED BY THE LEFT SEAT PILOT-IN-COMMAND TELLING HIM, ''YOU'D BETTER TAKE IT.' THIS WAS FOLLOWED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BY THE AIRCRAFT STALLING AND COLLIDING WITH A STAND OF COTTONWOOD TREES.'
WEATHER FOR THE ST. JOHNS AIRPORT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS: WIND 180 DEGREES @ 5 KNOTS, SKY CLEAR, VISIBILITY 10 MILES, TEMP 31 DEGREES CELSIUS, DEW POINT 3 DEGREES CELSIUS, ALTIMETER 30.10 INCHES OF MERCURY. SJN AIRPORT ELEVATION IS 5733 FT MSL. CALCULATED DENSITY ALTITUDE AT THE TIME OF TAKEOFF WAS 8,626 FT.
INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE NOTED THAT THE LH WING HAD SUFFERED CRUSHING DAMAGE ON THE INBOARD LEADING EDGE NEAR THE STRUT ATTACHMENT AREA, AND WAS MISSING THE OUTBOARD HALF OF THE WING. THE REST OF THE LH OUTBOARD WING HAD SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND HAD A CRUSHING INDENTATION AT THE MOST INBOARD SECTION WHERE THE WING WAS SEPARATED. THE SEPARATED PORTION OF THE WING WAS RESTING HALFWAY ALONG THE FLIGHT PATH BETWEEN A SET OF COTTONWOOD TREES WHICH HAD BEEN IMPACTED AND THE FINAL RESTING POINT OF THE AIRCRAFT. ADDITIONALLY THE LH HORIZONTAL SURFACE & ELEVATOR WAS FOUND DIRECTLY UNDER THE SET OF COTTONWOOD TREES WITH A SINGLE CRUSHING INDENTATION ON THE LEADING EDGE, MIDWAY ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE CONTROL SURFACE WHICH CORRESPONDED TO THE DIAMETER OF ONE OF THE BROKEN TREE TRUNKS.
UPON CONTACT WITH THE GROUND THE PROPELLER AND ENGINE WERE SHOVED UPWARDS AS THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER ON ITS BACK. ONE PROPELLER BLADE WAS BENT BACKWARD ALMOST 90 DEGREES.
THE REMAINING TAIL EMPENNAGE WAS DETACHED AND LYING SIDEWAYS UNDER THE INVERTED FUSELAGE. LARGE TREE BRANCHES WERE FOUND RESTING ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE INTACT RH WING WHICH HAD NOT SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE, BUT HAD SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE WING LIFT STRUT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.