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20230720017039A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-31P · Excelsior Sprin, MO · July 20, 2023

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 20, 2023 · 09:39 local
Place
Excelsior Sprin, MO
Airport
Midwest National Air Center
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N200RA
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN23FA314
Reported as
Piper PA-31P
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-541 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
N200RARegistered now · Piper PA-31PS/N 31P7400198 · Built 1974Airframe modelPiper PA-31PEngine modelLycoming TI0-541 seriesReciprocating

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.

Pilot took off on a ferry flight to relocate the aircraft to kingman airport/clyde Cessna field(9K8) kingman, Kansas to complete an overdue annual inspection. During takeoff and rotation, witnesses stated the aircraft seemed to be operating at less than full power and pulled to the right once the aircraft rotated and took flight. Witnesses further stated the aircraft struggled to gain altitude to clear the tree line north of the runway. After retraction of the landing gear, the aircraft began to slowly gain altitude and once clear of the trees, the aircraft made a left turn (west) out of sight of the witnesses. The aircraft, still struggling to gain and maintain altitude, impacted high tension power line guy wires and the right wing then clipped a tree approximately 30 feet above the ground. The aircraft then landed in a bean field with the gear retracted and slid along the ground approximately 400 feet before coming to a stop where it very quickly burst into flames causing the destruction of the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT TOOK OFF ON A FERRY FLIGHT TO RELOCATE THE AIRCRAFT TO KINGMAN AIRPORT/CLYDE CESSNA FIELD(9K8) KINGMAN, KANSAS TO COMPLETE AN OVERDUE ANNUAL INSPECTION. DURING TAKEOFF AND ROTATION, WITNESSES STATED THE AIRCRAFT SEEMED TO BE OPERATING AT LESS THAN FULL POWER AND PULLED TO THE RIGHT ONCE THE AIRCRAFT ROTATED AND TOOK FLIGHT. WITNESSES FURTHER STATED THE AIRCRAFT STRUGGLED TO GAIN ALTITUDE TO CLEAR THE TREE LINE NORTH OF THE RUNWAY. AFTER RETRACTION OF THE LANDING GEAR, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SLOWLY GAIN ALTITUDE AND ONCE CLEAR OF THE TREES, THE AIRCRAFT MADE A LEFT TURN (WEST) OUT OF SIGHT OF THE WITNESSES. THE AIRCRAFT, STILL STRUGGLING TO GAIN AND MAINTAIN ALTITUDE, IMPACTED HIGH TENSION POWER LINE GUY WIRES AND THE RIGHT WING THEN CLIPPED A TREE APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT THEN LANDED IN A BEAN FIELD WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED AND SLID ALONG THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP WHERE IT VERY QUICKLY BURST INTO FLAMES CAUSING THE DESTRUCTION OF 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.

NTSB CEN23FA314Accident · 1 fatalClass 3 · FieldFinal reportKearney, MOThe pilot’s decision to operate an airplane with known fuel leaks, his failure to conduct an engine run-up before takeoff, his subsequent failure to abort the takeoff, and the mechanic’s inadequate maintenance, which resulted in a partial loss of right engine…Jul 20, 2023 · Destroyed

Other reports on N200RA · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20000406014799INormal Cruise · Olathe, KS(-23) Aircraft declared an emergency and diverted to Johnson County Executive Airport (ojc), due to right engine smoking. Aircraft landed without incident. Emergency equipment on standby. The smoke was caused by an oil leak. No damage to the aircraft or…Apr 6, 2000