- Date
- August 22, 1991, 10:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Mead, WA
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3781APiper PA-22-135
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910822036239A
- Case key
- 41521
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
Improper preflight planning by the pilot, and the pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff. Factors related to the accident were: the high temperature and unfavorable wind condiiton.
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 initiated a takeoff on a hot day with unfavorable wind conditions, the acft was loaded at near max gross takeoff wt. When the acft reached takeoff speed, the pilot applied flaps and rotated, but the acft would not fly. He aborted the takeoff too late to stop on the runway. The acft departed the end of the runway and impacted terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3781A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-2023
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dennis W. Van Fossen
- Registered owner
- Dennis W. Van Fossen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- 70S · Mead, runway 34, 2,550 × 30 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
- 32
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,723 total · 364 in this make and model · 1,685 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SFF, 7 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.