- Date
- July 6, 1997, 08:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fajardo, PR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4515TPiper PA-34-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 29, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970706016839A
- Case key
- 3872
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
a malfunction (jamming) of the elevator flight control system for undetermined reason(s).
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 pilot reported that he had been doing touch-and-go landings for an hour when he experienced a loss of elevator control during climbout. He said that the airplane had climbed to 400 feet when the control yoke stuck. Efforts, to regain control of the airplane failed. After transmitting several 'may day' calls, the pilot prepared the airplane for ditching. The airplane ditched in about 130 feet of water 200 meters east of the Fajardo shoreline. The airplane was not recovered for examination. The pilot did not report any previous flight control problems with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On July 6, 1997, at 0830 atlantic standard time, a Piper PA-34-200, N4515T, ditched in 130 feet of water during an attempted takeoff from the Diego Jimenez Airport in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The personal flight operated under Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot was not injured. The flight departed Fajardo, Puerto Rico, at 0730.
The pilot reported that he had been doing touch and go landings for an hour when he experienced a loss of elevator control during climbout. The pilot said that he had climbed to 400 feet when the control yoke stuck. Efforts, to regain control of the airplane, failed. After transmitting several "may day" calls, the pilot prepared the airplane for ditching. The airplane ditched in about 130 feet of water 200 meters east of the Fajardo shoreline.
The airplane was not recovered for examination. The pilot did not report any previous flight control problems with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4515T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7250120
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1E6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Carlos R. Rodriguez-Botet
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- X95
- Airport
- X95 · Fajardo Regional
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 548 total · 154 in this make and model · 548 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- X95, 3 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.