Piper PA24 — Bryan, TX

What happened

The pilot was taking three passengers for a local sightseeing flight. A security video at the airport showed the airplane took off from runway 15. There were no video recordings of or witnesses to the accident. The airplane wreckage was located on a flat grass field off of the departure end of runway 15 on airport property and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage.

An onsite examination of the airframe found the fuel tank selector handle in the right main position. The right main fuel cell was not damaged and did not contain fuel; however, fuel was likely available in the other three fuel tanks. Rotational signatures on the propeller were consistent with it not being driven at the time of impact. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Toxicology testing showed that the pilot had used the allergy medication cetirizine. Cetirizine may sometimes cause drowsiness, but whether cetirizine effects contributed to the accident could not be determined.

Based upon the available evidence, the lack of damage to the propeller is consistent with a loss of engine power and it is likely that the engine lost power shortly after takeoff. The reason for the loss of engine power was likely due to fuel starvation.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.