- Date
- March 7, 2013, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Olathe, KS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N715BBPiper PA 46-350P
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 11, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Piper Aircraft, Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20130307005649A
- Case key
- 86395
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 maintain directional control during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During the takeoff roll, the airplane veered to the right, and the pilot applied left rudder to correct back to the runway centerline. About the same time, the engine turbocharger became effective, increasing the left yaw. The pilot was unable to counteract the left yaw and aborted the takeoff. The airplane departed the runway and impacted a snow bank, resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The lower section of the engine mount had fractured surfaces consistent with overstress fractures, which were likely caused by the nose landing gear collapse sequence.
Factual narrative
On March 7, 2013, about 1530 central standard time, a Piper PA-46-350P airplane, N715BB, was substantially damaged during a runway excursion at Johnson County Executive Airport (KOJC), Olathe, Kansas. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Johnson County Aviation Group LLC and operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from KOJC at 1530. During the takeoff roll, the pilot reported the airplane veered to the right so he applied left rudder to correct back to the runway centerline. At about the same time, the engine turbocharger became effective, increasing the left yaw. The pilot was unable to counteract the left yaw with the rudder and aborted the takeoff. The airplane impacted a snow bank and departed the runway into soft ground, resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear and substantial damage to the firewall and engine mount. Federal Aviation Administration officials inspected the steering bungee/spring, rudder cable tension, rudder trim position, tire pressure, and rake angle of the nose gear. The engine mount was examined at the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory. The fractured surfaces on the engine mount were consistent with overstress fractures. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N715BB
- Reported as
- Piper PA 46-350P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4636038
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Johnson County Aviation Group LLC
- Registered owner
- Johnson County Aviation Group LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KOJC · Olathe, KS
- Destination
- KOJC · Olathe, KS
- Airport
- KOJC · Johnson County Executive, runway 18, 4,098 × 75 ft, concrete
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 17, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 199 total · 22 in this make and model · 128 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- KOJC
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 6, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.