WPR12LA165

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA-28-140 · San Manuel, AZ · April 13, 2012

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
April 13, 2012, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
Place
San Manuel, AZ
Injuries
1 minor, 1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Takeoff
Aircraft
N3583KPiper PA-28-140
Defining event
Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report August 7, 2012
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Western Pacific Region
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20120413005229A
Case key
83383

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the 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.

Use of equip/info: aircraft controlPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotPiper PA-28-140: 103 casesAll aircraft: 9,295 casesProbable cause
Object/animal/substance: aircraftEnvironmental issues › Physical environment · Not specifiedPiper PA-28-140: 2 casesAll aircraft: 116 cases
Performance/control parameters: directional controlAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedPiper PA-28-140: 40 casesAll aircraft: 3,958 casesProbable cause

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

Shortly after the airplane lifted off from the runway, it entered a left bank, impacted the ground, and veered diagonally away from the runway. The airplane exited the runway and crossed a median and taxiway before impacting an unoccupied parked airplane. Postaccident examination revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Factual narrative

On April 13, 2012, about 1030 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28-140, N3583K, experienced a loss of control during takeoff, seconds after becoming airborne at the San Manuel Airport, San Manuel, Arizona. The airplane impacted the runway hard and collided with a parked airplane as it came to a stop. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private pilot was not injured, and the passenger sustained a minor injury. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight. The airplane was registered to a private individual, and it was operated by PC Aircraft, in San Manuel. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that he began what seemed to be a normal takeoff. The airplane lifted off a few feet, then dropped back onto the runway at an angle subsequently colliding with a parked airplane. A witness, who was at the airport, reported that he observed the airplane accelerate for takeoff from runway 11. Immediately after it lifted off the runway, the airplane entered a left bank towards the left side of the runway. The airplane bounced off the runway, traversed across a median and a taxiway before striking an unoccupied airplane and coming to rest about 2,500 feet from where the takeoff was initiated. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed that the left wing was bent upward about a 45 degree angle starting by the wing root. In addition, no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operations.

Aircraft

Registration
N3583K
Reported as
Piper PA-28-140
Category
Airplane
Serial number
28-23642
Engine
Lycoming O-360-A3A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
Departed
E77 · San Manuel, AZ
Destination
E77 · San Manuel, AZ
Airport
E77 · San Manuel, runway 11, 4,200 × 75 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
72
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
February 15, 2011
Seat
Left
Flight hours
345 total · 144 in this make and model · 219 as pilot in command

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
10° at 3 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
66 °F, dew point 23 °F
Altimeter
29.96 inHg
Observed at
E77

Docket · 5

The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 16, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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.