20220914015789A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28R-180 · Broomfield, CO · September 14, 2022

Date
September 14, 2022 · 11:40 local
Place
Broomfield, CO
Airport
Erie Municipal
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N3713T
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN22LA421
Reported as
Piper PA-28R-180
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
200 total

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.

Once at the aircraft, pilot did normal preflight inspection. Pilot checked all lights, oil level, sumped the fuel, checked tires, pitot tube, prop, and did a thorough walk around. Everything looked normal and good. Once in the aircraft pilot continued with pre-flight and checklist. Pilot got the ATIS and current weather. Pilot started the engine and everything looked good, all normal gauges. Pilot proceeded to do run up per the checklist, all normal. Pilot then taxied to runway 16 and waited for landing traffic. Once it was clear to depart pilot took runway 16 and proceeded to take off. Takeoff roll seemed a little longer than normal, when airborne and started to climb, pilot called out positive rate gear up. Pilot selected gear up and looked at the indicator lights, all still green. This is when pilot felt the airplane start to not climb or make full power. Pilot started to check everything. Prop full forward, mixture rich, throttle full, all these were correct, but still no change. Pilot looked at the gear indicator lights, still green however the gear was not retracting. The plane was now starting to just feel labored and like it was slowly being pulled down, pilot then started looking for a safe place to land, the left wing clipped the top of a tree and pitched aircraft forward a bit. That is when pilot saw the pond, the big trees right on the other side of the pond and the tennis courts were filled with people. In that instant pilot decided to go for the pond as pilot knew the aircraft would not clear the trees or tennis courts. Once the aircraft hit the water the aircraft flipped upside down and to the right, instantly the aircraft was submerged and the cabin filled with water. Pilot and passenger then exited the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

ONCE AT THE AIRCRAFT, PILOT DID NORMAL PREFLIGHT INSPECTION. PILOT CHECKED ALL LIGHTS, OIL LEVEL, SUMPED THE FUEL, CHECKED TIRES, PITOT TUBE, PROP, AND DID A THOROUGH WALK AROUND. EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL AND GOOD. ONCE IN THE AIRCRAFT PILOT CONTINUED WITH PRE-FLIGHT AND CHECKLIST. PILOT GOT THE ATIS AND CURRENT WEATHER. PILOT STARTED THE ENGINE AND EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD, ALL NORMAL GAUGES. PILOT PROCEEDED TO DO RUN UP PER THE CHECKLIST, ALL NORMAL. PILOT THEN TAXIED TO RUNWAY 16 AND WAITED FOR LANDING TRAFFIC. ONCE IT WAS CLEAR TO DEPART PILOT TOOK RUNWAY 16 AND PROCEEDED TO TAKE OFF. TAKEOFF ROLL SEEMED A LITTLE LONGER THAN NORMAL, WHEN AIRBORNE AND STARTED TO CLIMB, PILOT CALLED OUT POSITIVE RATE GEAR UP. PILOT SELECTED GEAR UP AND LOOKED AT THE INDICATOR LIGHTS, ALL STILL GREEN. THIS IS WHEN PILOT FELT THE AIRPLANE START TO NOT CLIMB OR MAKE FULL POWER. PILOT STARTED TO CHECK EVERYTHING. PROP FULL FORWARD, MIXTURE RICH, THROTTLE FULL, ALL THESE WERE CORRECT, BUT STILL NO CHANGE. PILOT LOOKED AT THE GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS, STILL GREEN HOWEVER THE GEAR WAS NOT RETRACTING. THE PLANE WAS NOW STARTING TO JUST FEEL LABORED AND LIKE IT WAS SLOWLY BEING PULLED DOWN, PILOT THEN STARTED LOOKING FOR A SAFE PLACE TO LAND, THE LEFT WING CLIPPED THE TOP OF A TREE AND PITCHED AIRCRAFT FORWARD A BIT. THAT IS WHEN PILOT SAW THE POND, THE BIG TREES RIGHT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE POND AND THE TENNIS COURTS WERE FILLED WITH PEOPLE. IN THAT INSTANT PILOT DECIDED TO GO FOR THE POND AS PILOT KNEW THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT CLEAR THE TREES OR TENNIS COURTS. ONCE THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE WATER THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN AND TO THE RIGHT, INSTANTLY THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBMERGED AND THE CABIN FILLED WITH WATER. PILOT AND PASSENGER THEN EXITED THE AIRCRAFT.

NTSB investigation

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