20250907017089A

On September 7, 2025, at approximately 17:25 mountain time, Piper PA-23-160 was involved in an accident while taking off from kdna on runway 10 right. The aircraft was on a 14 CFR part 91 cross country flight having arrived at kdna from kmaf for a fuel stop before proceeding on to the intended next stop at ktus. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries and the aircraft was destroyed.

The pilot reported to the NTSB that runway 10 right downwind was selected due to the next intended stop being kmaf. Pilot reported using taxiway alph to join the runway at A4. During the takeoff roll as rotation was reached the airplane began to drift to the left. Pilot reported hearing decreased engine noise while the aircraft continued to drift to the left exiting the runway in the vicinity of A2 coming to rest approximately 50-75 feet to the north side of the runway. Due to the right engine blocking the only exit door, the pilot broke out the left side window to exit the airplane.

On September 8, 2025, around 1500 mt, FAA inspectors from SW01 arrived on scene.

The aircraft was resting approximately 50-75 feet to the north side of the runway slightly op an incline with the nose on an approximate heading of 130. There were tire furrows in the gravel where the airplane contacted the ground off runway and an indentation midway up the incline where the nose hit prior to the airplane spinning around. The nose was crushed and pushed to the right of the fuselage. The left wing was detached from the aircraft pointing down slope south towards the runway. A post-crash fire consumed most of the outer left wing including the outboard fuel cell. The inboard fuel cell was compromised and empty. The left engine was partially attached to the remaining left wing and fire had damaged the rear accessory area. The propeller damage and marks were consistent with an engine that was not producing power when it contacted the ground. The right engine was bent up from its mount on the right wing and was resting against the only cabin door to the aircraft. The propeller showed damage consistent with an engine producing full power when it contacted the ground. All landing gear and wheels were broken off from the airframe. The rest of the airframe showed considerable damage. During inspection of the cockpit, it was noticed that the left fuel pump switch was in the off position. This switch was in a group of 6 switches for l & r fuel pumps and all 4 magnetos, all others of which were in the on position. Opening the rear baggage door allowed access to the baggage compartment and tail cone area where the ELT was retrieved and set to off. A bag containing the maintenance logs, owner’s manual, and flight manual along with numerous spare parts were retrieved from the tail cone area.

The aircraft wreckage is now secured in a hanger at kdna pending NTSB decision on if further evaluation is needed.