PIPER PA28 — West Chester, PA, 2015

PIPER PA28 — West Chester, PA

2 fatal Low-time pilot

Date	March 29, 2015
Location	West Chester, PA
Aircraft	PIPER PA28
Purpose of flight	Personal
Conditions	Day · Visual Meteorological Cond
Phase / occurrence	Initial climb Loss of control in flight
Pilot age	64
Pilot total time	224 hrs · Low time
Time in type	114 hrs
Fatalities	2

Probable cause

The failure of the flight instructor and the pilot to abort the takeoff after the airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power with adequate runway remaining, and their subsequent failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was an intermittent loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examination of the wreckage due to extensive postcrash fire damage.

NTSB findings

Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Lack of action-Flight crew - C
Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained - C
Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Flight crew - C

What happened

The private pilot/owner had not flown for about 4 years and was receiving a flight review from the flight instructor. The airplane was most recently flown about 4.5 months before the accident and was fueled about 1 month before the accident.. Witnesses reported that during an initial engine run-up before takeoff, the engine ran rough, but during a second run-up, the condition was resolved. According to witnesses, the airplane's first takeoff was aborted for unknown reasons; during the second takeoff, they heard "popping" sounds before and engine sputtering just after the airplane rotated and began to climb. One witness reported that the engine lost power momentarily while adequate runway remained available to abort the takeoff. However, the pilots elected to continue the takeoff, and the airplane subsequently experienced additional intermittent engine power interruptions. The witnesses reported that the airplane was about 0.5 mile west of the airport, in a slight nose-up attitude, when the left wing dropped. It then entered a spin, impacted the ground in a residential area, and was partially consumed by a postcrash fire.

Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal evidence of any preimpact malfunctions; however, extensive fire damage precluded operational testing of the ignition and fuel system components. The No. 4 cylinder exhaust value was stuck; however, it was likely a result of the postcrash fire. Although the gascolator drain valve was found in a partially locked position, the valve's position at impact could not be determined. The reason for the engine sputtering and then resuming normal operation several times as reported by the witnesses could not be determined. In addition, it could not be determined why the flight instructor and pilot/owner elected to continue the takeoff after the airplane experienced an engine malfunction with ample runway remaining to abort the takeoff.

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