- Date
- July 23, 1991, 10:15 local (14:15 UTC)
- Place
- Boone, NC
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N75173Piper PA-32R-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910723029679A
- Case key
- 8442
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to follow the manufacturer's procedures related to takeoff performance. Factors in the accident were: the high density altitude, the high obstructions, and the pilot's lack of expereince with takeoff operations at high density altitude.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The private pilot was planning a flight from an airstrip located in a mountainous resort area. He computed the density altitude (d.a.) to be 5,800 feet, and the takeoff gross weight was 95 pounds under max gross takeoff weight. After takeoff, climb capability stagnated and the pilot was unable to clear pine trees located past the departure end, he attempted to fly around them. The airplane stalled, collided with pine trees, and then crashed onto golf course. The pilot had no experience flying into or out of high atlitude airports. When asked if he had leaned the mixture for optimum performance under high d.a. conditions, he said that he was unaware of such a procedure. The pilot planned for a best climb speed of 70 KTS; however, the operating handbook recommended 87 knots when obstacle clearance was a factor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N75173
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7680275
- Airframe hours
- 1,647
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Abshire, David L
- Registered owner
- Abshire, David L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 27, 1991
- Destination
- HAO · Hamilton, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 5A3 · Boone, runway 31, 2,700 × 50 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 434 total · 45 in this make and model · 299 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HKY, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.