Piper PA-60-601P N601WK
7 September 2000 · Northampton, Massachusetts, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 September 2000 at about 11:55 local time, a Piper PA-60-601P registered N601WK was involved in an accident near Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. 2 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.
The record
- Date
- at 11:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Northampton, Massachusetts, United States
- Nearest airport
- Northampton Airport (7B2)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-60-601P
- Registration
- N601WK
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Poghkeepsie
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC00LA252
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's improper preflight planning which resulted in an attempted takeoff from a taxiway. A factor in the accident was the fog.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airport consisted of a single runway oriented on a heading of 140/320 degrees. A taxiway oriented on a 120 degree heading intersected the runway at its midpoint. The pilot reported that the visibility was 500-1,000 feet with fog at the time of departure. Before he took off, the pilot asked his passenger to walk the length of the runway to observe any obstructions, due to the reduced visibility. The pilot then taxied to the run-up pad, set the heading of his HSI to 120 degrees, and initiated the takeoff. When the airspeed reached 80 knots, the pilot realized he had initiated the takeoff on the taxiway instead of the runway. He aborted the takeoff and attempted to maneuver the airplane to the runway. The airplane crossed the runway, impacted a tree, and came to rest upright in a cornfield. The weather reported at the time of the accident at an airport 9 miles away was: wind from 320 degrees at 2 knots; visibility 1/16 mile with fog; sky partially obscured; ceiling 200 feet overcast.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-60 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct 2000 | Piper PA-60-601P | S. Burlington, Vermont, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Oct 2000 | Piper PA-60 | Koblenz, Germany | Mahe Electronic Gmbh | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Jan 1999 | Piper PA-60-602P | Lynchburg, Virginia, United States | Herbert Frazier II | Serious injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 2001 | Piper PA-60-601P | Marco Island, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 29 May 1999 | Piper PA-60-600 | Montgomery, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 2001 | Piper PA-60-602P | Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States | Roeder-Johnson Corp. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jul 2000 | Piper PA-32-300 | Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Feb 2000 | Aerotechnik L-13 SEH VIVAT | Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States | Henry F. Krejci | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Dec 2000 | Rockwell 112A | Norwood, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 May 2000 | Mooney M20K | Grt Barrington, Massachusetts, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Jun 2000 | Grumman American AA-1A | Northampton, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jul 2000 | Grumman American AA-5A | Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States | John Sadler | Minor injuries | - |