20230323004849A

ON MARCH 23, 2023, ABOUT 1644 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-46-350P, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING TAKEOFF AT NORTHEAST FLORIDA REGIONAL AIRPORT (SGJ), ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA. ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL INFORMATION, THE PILOT REQUESTED RUNWAY 24 FOR DEPARTURE AND WAS CLEARED TO BACK-TAXI TO USE THE FULL LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY. HOWEVER, REPORTS STATE THAT THE PILOT DID NOT USE THE FULL LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY AND FORM MIDFIELD AT 1900 FEET. AT THAT TIME, THE WIND WAS REPORTED BY THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER AS 140° AT 12 KNOTS. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS WHO WAS CONDUCTING A PRIVATE PILOT PRACTICAL TEST AT A FLIGHT SCHOOL AT SGJ, HE HEARD A HIGH-POWERED AIRPLANE TAKING OFF FROM RUNWAY 24. HE OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE ROTATING NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF RUNWAY 24 AND TAXIWAY D3 AND BEGIN A SHALLOW CLIMB. THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE SOUNDED AS IF IT WAS DEVELOPING FULL POWER. AFTER CLEARING THE END OF THE RUNWAY, THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO PITCH UP INTO A STEEP NOSE UP ATTITUDE. IT CLIMBED TO AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 100 FT, THEN BEGAN SETTLING, AND "BARELY CLEARED THE STREETLIGHTS ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF U.S. ROUTE 1." THE AIRPLANE THEN BEGAN A SLIGHT ROLL TO THE LEFT AND STRUCK TREES NEAR THE EXTENDED CENTERLINE OF RUNWAY 24. A LARGE FIREBALL ERUPTED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY UPON IMPACT WITH THE TREES. RUNWAY 24 WAS CONSTRUCTED OF ASPHALT, AND IN FAIR CONDITION. IT WAS 2,701 FT LONG AND 60 FT WIDE AND OBSTRUCTIONS EXISTED IN THE FORM OF 53-FT-HIGH TREES, 1,055 FT FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. REVIEW OF A CROSSWIND CHART INDICATED THAT THE TAILWIND WAS APPROXIMATELY 4 KNOTS AND A CROSSWIND FROM THE LEFT WAS ABOUT 11 KNOTS DURING THE TAKEOFF. REVIEW OF THE INFORMATION SHOWS THAT THE AIRCRAFT TAKEOFF DISTANCE WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO BE APPROXIMATELY 16% LONGER AND A DECREASE IN THE RATE OF CLIMB EXISTED IN COMPARISON TO A STANDARD DAY CONDITION. THE AIRCRAFT WITH FULL FUEL AND WHAT WAS ONBOARD APPEARS THE AIRCRAFT WAS OVER GROSS WEIGHT CAUSING A LOWER AIRSPEED ON TAKEOFF THEREFORE, WITH MORE AIRSPEED, SUCH AS 5 KNOTS, WOULD ADD TO ROTATION SPEED DURING TAKEOFF, AND THAT WAS NOT EVIDENT WITHIN VIDEOS OBSERVED. THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WAS RETAINED FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION. WITH THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY POST IMPACT FIRE. THE ENGINE BECAME DISLODGED AS WELL AS THE LEFT WING AND TIP TANK ASSEMBLY FOUND NEARBY. THE RIGHT WING BURNT IN ITS ENTIRETY AND PRESUMED THE TIP TANK BURNT AS WELL GIVEN IT COULD NOT BE LOCATED. DURING OUR INITIAL EXAMINATION FOUND THE NOSE CARGO COMPARTMENT FULL OF PERSONAL ITEMS AS WELL AS THE BACK COMPARTMENT. THIS MAY HAVE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE AIRCRAFT SETTLING, WITH A SLOWER THAN REQUIRED AIRSPEED TO LIFT THE AIRCRAFT. ALONG WITH THE SERIOUS INJURIES TO BOTH OCCUPANTS, THEIR DOG ALSO ONBOARD SUCCUMBED TO INJURIES FROM THE CRASH. THE AIRCRAFT IS RETAINED AT JACKSONVILLE AIR RECOVERY FOR FURTHER ENGINE EXAMINATION IF NEEDED. THIS ACCIDENT APPEARS TO BE PILOT ERROR AND IS CLOSED PENDING FURTHER AMENDMENTS AND INFORMATION OBTAINED.