CEN09FA393

The pilot's poor judgment/decision making in attempting the no-flap takeoff, his failure to comply with weight and balance limitations, and his failure to calculate the airplane's performance under exiting conditions.

An employee who helped load the airplane thought it was “overloaded” and that the passengers seemed “tense" and “in a hurry to leave.” The pilot made a flaps-up takeoff. It was calculated that at takeoff, the airplane was 188 pounds over maximum certificated gross weight, and the aft c.g. limit was exceeded by 0.15 inches. It was calculated that the flaps up takeoff ground roll would be approximately 1,970 feet, and the flaps up takeoff distance over a 50-foot barrier would be approximately 3,190 feet. The grass runway was 3,200 feet long. Prior to takeoff, the pilot told a surviving passenger that they were going to need all of the runway for takeoff. The passenger said the airplane lifted off at the end of the runway, dropped down into a shallow valley, touched the ground, and lifted off again. It touched down a second time, hit a barbed wire fence and tree, and “rolled” several times. Witnesses said the airplane lifted off in a nose high attitude, disappeared into a shallow valley, then reappeared in a slight climb. The wings were "wig-wagging" and the airplane was "porpoising." GPS data indicates the airplane lifted off between 74 and 78 mph and climbed no more than 29 feet. A videotape of the takeoff corroborated witness' observations. Post-accident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 26, 2009, at 0904 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300, N38171, registered to and operated by PropAire, Inc., of St. Louis, Missouri, and piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it struck a tree and impacted terrain shortly after taking off from Gaston's Air strip (3MO), Lakeview, Arkansas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. A fourth passenger was seriously injured, and a fifth passenger sustained minor injuries. The cross-country flight was originating at the time of the accident, and was en route to Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS), St. Louis, Missouri. According to Global Positioning System (GPS) data retrieved from the airplane, the pilot and his party departed Spirit of St. Louis Airport at 0647 on June 23, and arrived at Gaston’s Airstrip at 0703. They were planning to go fishing for the next three days. According to Lockheed Martin records, the pilot telephoned the flight service station (FSS) on June 26 at 0815 and obtained a weather briefing for the return flight to SUS. He did not file a flight plan. The pilot and his passengers were driven to the airstrip by a Gaston employee. The employee said the passengers “wore plastic bags on their feet” and “had luggage on their laps.” He thought the airplane was “overloaded” and the passengers “were tense, [but] maybe [it was] just the heat.” They also appeared to be “in a hurry to leave.” He said the engine “didn’t sound right before takeoff,” and the airplane “didn’t appear to lift very well.” A Baxter County sheriff’s deputy took a recorded statement from the passenger who was seated in the right front seat. He said that just before takeoff, the pilot told him they were going to need the entire runway. He said the airplane lifted off at the end of the runway, dropped down into a shallow valley, touched the ground, and lifted off again. It touched down a second time, hit a tree, and “rolled” several times. He climbed over the pilot (he said he could tell he was dead), got out of the airplane, and went back to where his son was sitting. He said his son could move but was “screaming in pain.” One witness who observed the takeoff said the airplane “came from runway with nose up (sic), possibly 30 percent,” and “was losing altitude.” Other witnesses saw the airplane lift off and disappear into a shallow valley. When it reappeared, it was in a slight climb, the wings were "wig-wagging" and the airplane was "porpoising." A witness who was fishing in a boat on the nearby White River said he heard the airplane take off and could see it through the trees. He could tell it “didn’t have much altitude.” Another witness fishing on the river said the airplane “sounded like it was barely moving. The plane was approximately 100 feet off the ground. The plane veered to the right. The back of the plane hit a tree (sheared left wing).” The first 9-1-1 call was received at 0904. PERSONNEL (CREW) INFORMATION The pilot, age 52, held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument ratings, dated April 22, 1992. He also held a third class airman medical certificate, dated March 17, 2008, with no restrictions or limitations. The second of the pilot’s two logbooks was recovered from the wreckage. It contained entries October 18, 1993, to June 23, 2009, and indicated that the pilot had logged the following flight times: Total time, 673.8 Airplane single–engine land, 673.8 Piper PA-32R-300, 165.3 Pilot-in-command, 567.4 Dual instruction, 122.3 Cross-country, 512.9 Night, 71.3 Actual instruments, 100.1 Simulated instruments, 62.7 His most recent flight review was accomplished on March 20, 2009, in the accident airplane. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION N38171 (s.n. 32R-7780392), and model PA-32R-300, was manufactured by the Piper Aircraft Corporation in 1977, and was owned and operated by PropAire, Inc., of St. Louis, Missouri. It was equipped with a Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D engine (s.n. L-16598-48A), rated at 300 horsepower, driving a Hartzell 3-blade, all-metal, constant-speed propeller (m.n. HC-C3YR-1RF). According to the aircraft’s maintenance records, the last annual and 100-hour inspections of the airframe, engine, and propeller were accomplished on March 10, 2009, at a tachometer time of 2,107.91 hours. At that time, the airframe total time was 9,011.45 hours, and the engine total time since new and since major overhaul, which was done on May 11, 2000, was 8,390.50 hours and 2,107.91 hours, respectively. The propeller was overhauled on April 6, 1999, and dynamically balanced on February 24, 2004, at a tachometer time of 1,015.17 hours. The last IFR certification of the transponder, altimeter, encoder, and static system was on April 8, 2009. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The following Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) was recorded at Ozark (Baxter County) Regional Airport (BPK), Mountain Home, Arkansas, located 5 miles east of the accident site, at 0853: Wind, calm; visibility, 6, haze; sky condition, clear; temperature, 27 C.; dew point, 23 C.; altimeter setting, 29.91 inches of Mercury; Remarks: sea level pressure, 1011.6 mb. The following Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) was recorded at Marion County Regional Airport (FLP), Flippin, Arkansas, located 5 miles south-southwest of the accident site: Wind, calm; visibility, 10; sky condition, few clouds 6,000 feet; temperature, 28 degrees C.; dew point, 22 degrees C.; altimeter setting, 29.91 inches of Mercury. Witnesses described the weather at the time of take off as being hot, hazy, and muggy. Using the field elevation of 479 feet, a temperature and dew point of 27 and 23 degrees C. (81 and 73 degrees F.), respectively, and an altimeter setting of 29.91 inches of Mercury, the pressure altitude was computed to be 489 feet, the density altitude was calculated to be 2,367 feet, and the relative air density was calculated to be 93.25 percent at takeoff from Gaston’s. AERODROME INFORMATION Gaston’s Airstrip (3MO) is located one mile south of Lakeview at coordinates 36 degrees, 20.55’ north latitude, and 092 degrees, 33.25’ west longitude. It is situated at an elevation of 479 feet msl. It has one runway: 06-24, 3,200 feet x 55 feet, turf. The grass runway was well manicured. The height of the grass on the runway was approximately 1 inch. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The on-site investigation commenced June 27 and terminated June 28, 2009. The compass heading for runway 6 was 069 degrees and was 0.6 miles long (as measured by automobile odometer). The airplane wreckage was measured to be 0.7 miles past the end of the runway. Examination of the accident site disclosed tire tracks in the tall grass, on a magnetic heading of 120 degrees, leading up to a barbed wire fence that had been torn down. Just beyond the fence was a large tree with chop marks consistent with propeller strikes. Most of the bark was missing. At the base of this tree were the airplane’s left wing and left rear cargo door. Beyond the tree, on a heading of 128 degrees and twisting to a heading of 179 degrees, was the twisted airplane wreckage. The nose was aligned on a heading of 097 degrees and the tail was aligned on a heading of 031 degrees, magnetic. Numerous personal effects were found scattered on the ground. The fuel selector was photographed and compared with an exemplar. It was determined that it was positioned on the left main tank. The landing gear control was in the DOWN position, and the bellcrank was extended. The flap handle lay flat on the floor, and the actuator was in the UP position. Examination o