Piper PA-28R-201 N5274A

Summary

On 2 May 1999 at about 14:45 local time, a Piper PA-28R-201 registered N5274A, operated by Richard Bradley Mohammed, was involved in an accident near Curran, Michigan, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 May 1999 at 14:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Curran, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Mohammed Ranch-Private

Coordinates

44.7105, -83.8000

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-201

Registration

N5274A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Richard Bradley Mohammed

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Detroit

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI99FA140

3 people died.

the inadvertent stall/mush. Factor which contributed to this accident were the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, the premature lift-off during the takeoff, the airplane's low airspeed following lift-off, and the trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot's father was positioned at the departure end of runway 09. From there, he watched the airplane make its takeoff run. He said that the airplane was about 1,000 feet down the runway when it got into the air. 'The plane went up about 35 to 50 feet [above the ground] and flew down the runway without gaining altitude. It was wobbling and veered off to the left, crashing into the trees, and then exploded.' The airstrip was oriented on a 090-270 magnetic heading. On the 090 degree orientation, the airstrip was 2,500 feet in usable length, with 500 additional feet beyond what was marked as the departure end of the airstrip. At the end of the 3,000 total feet was a heavily-wooded area consisting of 50 to 60 foot high pine trees. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. The PA-28R-201 Pilot's Operating Handbook, Takeoff Performance Tables show that for a 2,750 pound airplane, a temperature of 21 degrees Centigrade, pressure altitude of 1180 feet mean sea level, zero wind, and using 25 degrees of flaps, the takeoff distance to clear a 50 foot barrier is 2,000 feet. For the same conditions, but using a zero flap setting, the takeoff distance needed to clear a 50 foot barrier is 2,750 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.