- Date
- June 25, 2000, 22:25 local (Jun 26, 2000, 04:25 UTC)
- Place
- Spanish Fork, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9246DNew Piper PA-46-350P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000625006929A
- Case key
- 49513
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
Failure by the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft during initial climb following takeoff.
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 was practicing a soft field takeoff in preparation for his commercial certificate examination. During initial climb following lift off, the airplane drifted left of the runway and struck a fence post followed by collision with the ground.
Factual narrative
On June 25, 2000, at 2225 mountain daylight time, a New Piper PA-46-350P, N9246D, sustained substantial damage when it struck a fence and the ground during initial climb following takeoff at Spanish Fork, Utah. The private pilot sole occupant was not injured. The flight was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this local training flight which departed Spanish Fork at 2100.
According to information provided by the pilot, he was practicing a soft field takeoff in preparation for his commercial pilot exam, and during initial climb following takeoff, the aircraft drifted left of the runway, settled, and a wing struck a fence post followed by impact with the ground off the east side of the runway.
The two impacts caused damage to the wings, fuselage, engine, propeller, landing gear, and empennage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9246D
- Reported as
- New Piper PA-46-350P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4622165
- Airframe hours
- 496
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-AE2A, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Stephen E. Howcroft
- Registered owner
- S.E.H. Aviation Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 15, 2000 · 69 hours before
- Departed
- U77
- Airport
- V77 · Spanish Fork, runway 12, 5,700 × 100 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 881 total · 289 in this make and model · 791 as pilot in command · 97 in the last 90 days · 37 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PVU, 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.