Piper PA-36-300 N57831

Summary

On 20 August 1996 at about 19:00 local time, a Piper PA-36-300 registered N57831 was involved in an accident near Hale Center, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 August 1996 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Hale Center, Texas, United States

Coordinates

34.0605, -101.8410

Aircraft

Piper PA-36-300

Registration

N57831

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW96LA353

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation and failure to obtain and/or maintain adequate airspeed after takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush. The overweight condition of the airplane and high density altitude were related factors.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll from his 3,000 foot dirt airstrip, he noticed that the airspeed was slower than normal. After dumping a small amount of wheat seed, the airspeed 'became normal' and the airplane climbed to about 75 feet AGL in a shallow left turn. Approximately one mile north of the strip, the airplane over flew a heavily watered milo field, and it began to descend. The pilot stated that he lowered the nose and again 'dumped wheat seed for approximately 750 feet,' but the airplane continued to descend. The pilot reported that 'the airplane stalled approximately 15 feet above the ground' and subsequently impacted the ground. In preparation for the aerial spreading of wheat seed, the hopper was loaded with seed, and the airplane was serviced with about 40 gallons of fuel. During the investigation, a weight and balance calculation was made using figures provided by the operator. The calculation showed that the airplane was 50 pounds over its maximum gross weight limit of 4,400 pounds. Density altitude was calculated to be 5,700 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.