- Date
- June 23, 2011, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Havre, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N57736Piper PA-36-285
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110623010969A
- Case key
- 80868
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.
Findings · 2
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
The pilot had just picked up a load for aerial spraying operations and was taking off on a road. He accelerated to approximately 72 mph with 15 degrees of flaps. The airplane lifted off the road momentarily before settling back down onto the ground. He then lost directional control of the airplane and exited to the left of the road, colliding with a fence. The airplane came to rest approximately 15 to 20 feet from the road. The pilot reported that he thought he may have hit the wake of a second airplane that was working in the area and had taken off before him three minutes prior to his takeoff attempt. According to a weather reporting facility located 10 miles to the south, the wind at the time of the accident was calm. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot had just picked up a load for aerial spraying operations and was taking off on a road. He accelerated to approximately 72 mph with 15 degrees of flaps. The airplane lifted off the road momentarily before settling back down onto the ground. He then lost directional control of the airplane and exited to the left of the road, colliding with a fence. The airplane came to rest approximately 15 to 20 feet from the road. The pilot reported that he thought he may have hit the wake of a second airplane that was working in the area and had taken off before him three minutes prior to his takeoff attempt. According to a weather reporting facility located 10 miles to the south, the wind at the time of the accident was calm and the temperature was 25 degrees Celsius. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N57736
- Reported as
- Piper PA-36-285
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36-7660053
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Barlow Kirk A
- Registered owner
- Barlow Kirk A
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 2011
- Departed
- NA · Havre, MT
- Destination
- NA · Havre, MT
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- NA · None - Road
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 15, 2011
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total · 160 in this make and model · 12,000 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 15 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.72 inHg
- Observed at
- KHVR, 10 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 8, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.0 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.