Piper PA-31T N91TW

Summary

On 17 January 1982 at about 21:35 local time, a Piper PA-31T registered N91TW, operated by Derral Christensen, was involved in an accident near Delta, Utah, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

17 January 1982 at 21:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Delta, Utah, United States

Coordinates

39.2893, -112.5591

Aircraft

Piper PA-31T

Registration

N91TW

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Derral Christensen

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Delta → Las Vegas

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN82FA020

3 people had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MI FROM THE ARPT AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT NOTICED THE LEFT FRONT BAGGAGE DOOR PARTLY OPEN & MADE A LEFT TURN BACK TOWARD THE AIRSTRIP. AFTER THE TURN, THE BAGGAGE DOOR CAME COMPLETELY OPEN, THE LEFT WING DROPPED IMMEDIATELY & THE ACFT STALLED. THE PLT ADDED FULL POWER & LOWERED THE NOSE. WHEN HE RAISED THE NOSE NEAR THE GROUND, THE ACFT SHUDDERED & CRASHED. TWO RESCUE PERSONNEL, BOTH CERTIFICATED PILOTS, ARRIVED SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT & FOUND THE NOSE BAGGAGE DOOR IN THE UNLOCKED POSITION WITH THE BAYONET PINS RETRACTED. A PIPER REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT IF THE LEFT SIDE NOSE BAGGAGE DOOR OF A PA-31T OPENED IN FLT THERE WOULD BE THE LIKELIHOOD OF AN INTERRUPTION TO THE SMOOTH AIRFLOW THROUGH THE PROP, POSSIBLY REDUCING THE THRUST PRODUCED BY THE BLADES.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.