Piper PA-32R-300 N4477F

Summary

On 18 February 1997 at about 21:15 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N4477F was involved in an accident near Salida, Colorado, United States. 5 people were 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

18 February 1997 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Salida, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Harriet Alexander Field (0V2)

Coordinates

38.5296, -106.0006

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N4477F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Tyler

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW97LA107

Nobody was injured.

The airplane's performance being exceeded due to the pilot's inadequate preflight planning. Factors were the uphill runway, high density altitude, and the pilot's lack of experience performing takeoffs from a high altitude airport.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during takeoff roll the aircraft accelerated to 60 MPH like it 'normally' does; however, it took 'longer than normal to accelerate to 80 MPH.' The aircraft appeared to 'lift off fine, but it didn't seem to climb as well as he would have liked.' He put the gear up and about 30 to 35 feet above the runway he lowered the aircraft's nose to accelerate to the best angle of climb airspeed. Instead of accelerating and continuing to climb, the aircraft began to descend. He 'cut the power,' and as the airplane touched down, the nose and left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane has automatic extending landing gear. The pilot did not use any flaps for the takeoff. The pressure altitude at the time of the accident was 7,489 feet and the temperature was 48 degrees Fahrenheit. The performance data derived for these conditions would be off of the chart. In the same section, there is a warning that, 'Performance information derived by extrapolation beyond the limits shown on the charts should not be used for flight planning purposes.' This was the pilot's third takeoff from a high altitude airport. Runway 24 rises 1.9 degrees, which equates to a 117 foot rise.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.