- Date
- August 12, 2021, 19:00 local (Aug 13, 2021, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Panguitch, UT
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1651JPiper PA-28-140
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Adminsitration
- FAA report
- 20210812018579A
- Case key
- 103701
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 airplane’s inability to maintain altitude during the initial climb due to a degradation in the airplane’s performance due to high-density altitude conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to conduct preflight performance planning calculations.
Findings · 4
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 reported that, he conducted a maximum performance takeoff by adding full power and holding the brakes until engine RPM stabilized. The pilot released the brakes, and upon reaching rotation speed, the airplane drifted left. He maneuvered the airplane toward the runway centerline, and it touched down onto the runway briefly before it became airborne again. The airplane ascended to about 100 ft above ground level, before it began descending. The pilot stated that, there was no available runway remaining, so he initiated a forced landing to the uneven terrain ahead. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a fence and vegetation substantially damaging the fuselage. The pilot reported that prior to takeoff, he calculated the airplane’s weight with passengers and fuel, and determined it to be about 20 pounds under the maximum gross weight of the airplane. However, the pilot did not conduct preflight performance calculations prior to takeoff. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that if he took more time in preflight preparations, he would have noticed that the density altitude was too high to takeoff. The pilot operating handbook take-off distance vs. density altitude chart states “extrapolation of chart above 7,000 ft. [density altitude] is invalid. The calculated density altitude at the time of the accident was 9,000 ft mean sea level (msl).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1651J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-24044
- Built
- 1968
- Airframe hours
- 6,073.83
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Piper 140 LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2020
- Airport
- U55 · Panguitch Muni, runway 36, 5,700 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 9,429 total · 22 in this make and model · 7,106 as pilot in command · 171 in the last 90 days · 82 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.31 inHg
- Observed at
- KBCE, 14 nm away
- METAR
- KBCE 130053Z AUTO 20005KT 10SM FEW120 24/06 A3031 RMK AO2 SLP152 T02390061
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N1651J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.