# NTSB CEN10LA348: Piper PA-36-285, N269JW, Fremont, NE, June 25, 2010 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 25, 2010, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC) - Place: Fremont, NE - Coordinates: 41.440521, -96.490051 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4405&lon=-96.4901&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report June 14, 2012 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 76457 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN10LA348 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/76457/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=76457 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN10LA348 ## Probable cause The pilot’s loss of control for undetermined reasons. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-36-285, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=7103610), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not specified (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-36-285, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=7103610), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: altitude](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not specified; cases with it: [Piper PA-36-285, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md?model=7103610), [All aircraft, 1,310 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Piper PA-36-285, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=7103610), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) - [Landing: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-36-285, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md?model=7103610), [All aircraft, 2,102 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md) ## Analysis The airplane was on a repositioning flight after an annual inspection. A witness, who was driving down a road, observed the airplane flying erratically toward him as if to land. The airplane then made a sharp turn toward a field next to the road. The airplane hit a fence and an outbuilding on a farm. The pilot received serious injuries and had no recollection of the accident. Witness observations and evidence indicated that the engine was producing power at the time of impact. No anomalies were noted with the airplane or engine during a postaccident examination. ## Factual narrative On June 25, 2010, about 1430 central daylight time, a Piper PA-36-285 airplane, N269JW, was substantially damaged following impact with terrain and a building near Fremont, Nebraska. The commercial pilot was seriously injured. The repositioning flight originated from Tekamah (TQE), Nebraska, about 1400 and was en route to a private airstrip near Sutton, Nebraska. The flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. A witness, who as driving down a road, observed the airplane flying erratically towards him as if to land. The airplane then made a sharp turn towards a small alfalfa field next to the road. The airplane hit a fence with its right wing and a fence and pole with the left wing, before it collided with a building on a farm. The witness recalled that the propeller was turning when he saw the airplane and four ground scars indicative of propeller strikes were found at the accident scene. The airplane’s empennage and left wing were separated from the fuselage. The pilot had no recollection of the accident. A postaccident examination of the wreckage by Federal Aviation (FAA) Inspectors confirmed flight control continuity to all control surfaces. Fuel was found in the right fuel tank and the left tank was compromised and empty. No anomalies were noted with the engine that would have precluded normal operation prior to impact. Each of the three propeller blades exhibited leading edge polishing and chord-wise scratches. According to an FAA inspector, an annual inspection had been completed on the airplane on June 24, 2010, the day prior to the accident and the airplane had accumulated less than one hour of flight time since inspection. The engine had been overhauled in 2001, and had accumulated about 65 hours since overhaul at the time of the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N269JW](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N269JW-2012-09-20), registration cancelled 2012-09-20, S/N 36-7560063, built 1975 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-36-285 - Registry model: [Piper PA-36-285](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-36-285) (registry code 7103610) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 6-285-A](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-6-285-a) (registry code 17038, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 36-7560063 - Engines: CONT MOTOR 6-285-A 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Positioning, Part 91 - Operator: James and Deborah Jones - Registered owner: James and Deborah Jones - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, June 24, 2010, 1 hours before - Departed: tqe, Tekemah, NE - Destination: Sutton, NE ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 45; injuries: serious; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; last flight review June 25, 2009; seat: single; flight hours: 3,226 total, 2,013 in this make and model, 3,028 as pilot in command, 5 in the last 90 days, 3 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 15 knots, gusting 21 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 90 °F, dew point 73 °F - Altimeter: 29.88 inHg - Observed at: FET, 4 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20100625037649A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100625037649A), Jun 25, 2010: Piper PA-36-285, Fremont, NE, Destroyed. On June 25, 2010, at 1423 CDT, a Piper PA-36-285, N269JW, [privacy data omitted] [privacy data omitted] was involved in an accident 2-3 miles northwest of the… ## Other investigations on N269JW (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MKC84LA258](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MKC84LA258), Aug 23, 1984: Piper PA-36-400 (N269JW), Hill City, KS, destroyed ## Docket (6 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 8, 2012, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=76457. 11.7 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 501 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40367187&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Maps or Charts of Accident Area, Wreckage Diagrams (item 2, .PDF, 48 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40367188&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Maps%20or%20Charts%20of%20Accident%20Area,%20Wreckage%20Diagrams-Redacted.PDF - Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector (item 3, .PDF, 50 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40367191&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Conversation%20-%20FAA%20Inspector-Master.PDF - Photo 1 - Propeller Blades (item 4, .PDF, 2.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40367206&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20-%20Propeller%20Blades-Master.PDF - Photo 2 - Propeller Ground Strikes (item 5, .PDF, 6.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40367207&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202%20-%20Propeller%20Ground%20Strikes-Master.PDF - Photo 3 - Wreckage (item 6, .PDF, 2.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40367208&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203%20-%20Wreckage-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.