PIPER PA-23-250 — Summerville, SC

What happened

During an early morning departure, prior to sunrise, the aircraft impacted trees and terrain immediately after takeoff. Witnesses reported the sound of the engines were loud, although they did not observe the airplane take off. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engines revealed no mechanical discrepancies that would have precluded normal operation. The damage to both propeller assemblies was consistent with impact and fire damage. Although the forward baggage door had a gouge mark, it was not consistent with a baggage door coming in contact with a propeller blade in flight. The circumstances of the accident are potentially consistent with an incapacitating event involving this pilot, particularly, given evidence of coronary artery disease during the postmortem examination, or with spatial disorientation given the circumstances of the flight. The pilot was taking off during dark lighting conditions, over a dark unpopulated area. The absence of external visual cues and the accelerations associated with the takeoff and initial climb could have led to erroneous sensations of the airplane’s attitude which, if not effectively managed by the pilot, could explain the circumstances of the accident. There is insufficient evidence, however, to allow a conclusive determination as to which scenario, if either, actually occurred.

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