# Accident 20200305001989A: Piper PA-23-250, Albermarle, NC, March 5, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 5, 2020, 14:35 local time
- Place: Albermarle, NC
- Airport: Stanly County Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.4167° N, 80.1508° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.4167&lon=-80.1508&mi=10
- Aircraft: N335W, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N335W-2021-06-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-23-250
- Reported engine: LYCOMING TI0-540 SER
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 15,000 total, 40 in this make and model, 193 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA20LA127](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20LA127) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200305001989A

## Narrative

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

ON MARCH 5, 2020, PIPER AIRCRAFT (N335W), SER. NO. 27-3017, DEPARTED FROM VUJ AT APPROXIMATELY 1415 LOCAL TIME USING RUNWAY 4R. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED A FULL LOAD OF FUEL PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. THERE WERE 2 INDIVIDUALS ONBOARD THE AIRCRAFT; BOTH WERE FAA CERTIFICATED PILOTS. THE PILOT IN CHARGE (PIC) WAS SITTING IN THE RIGHT SEAT, GIVING INSTRUCTION TO THE PILOT SITTING IN THE LEFT SEAT. THE LOCAL AREA HAD RECEIVED SEVERAL DAYS OF RAIN PRIOR TO THE EVENT MAKING THE GROUND WATER-SOAKED. THE CREW REPORTED THAT AFTER ROTATION AND AT APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THEY EXPERIENCED A DUAL ENGINE FAILURE. THE AIRCRAFT MADE A SLIGHT TURN TO THE EAST CLEARING A SMALL GROVE OF TREES AND THEN TO THE WEST WHERE THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED AND IMPACTED THE GROUND WITH THE LANDING GEAR IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE POINT OF IMPACT AND WHERE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST WERE BOTH ON AIRPORT PROPERTY WITHIN ITS PERIMETER FENCING.

THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN IN A TYPICAL LANDING CONFIGURATION. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEEL ASSEMBLY STRUCK A SMALL BURM, SNAPPING THE LEFT MAIN STRUT OFF, IMPACTING THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE LEFT FLAP. THE LEFT WING THEN CONTACTED THE GROUND AS THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED IN A FORWARD DIRECTION. APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET FROM THE POINT OF IMPACT, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED INTO THE NOSE WHEEL WELL AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO ROTATE TO THE LEFT WHILE CONTINUING TO SLIDE. APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT, THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION FACING RUNWAY 4R. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.

BOTH PILOTS PROVIDED WRITTEN, SIGNED STATEMENTS RECALLING THE EVENT. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PRE-FLIGHT CHECKLIST WAS NOT CORRECTLY FOLLOWED, SPECIFICALLY, THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMPS (BOOST PUMPS) WERE NOT TURNED ON BEFORE TAKE-OFF.

## 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 ERA20LA127](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20LA127), Mar 5, 2020: Piper PA23 (N335W), Albemarle, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilots' failure to ensure that the electric fuel pumps were on before takeoff, which resulted in a partial loss of power on both engines during initial climb.

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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