Piper PA-32-260 N3921W

Summary

On 23 May 2003 at about 11:30 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N3921W, operated by James A. Caldwell, was involved in an accident near Fort Meade, Florida, United States. 4 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

23 May 2003 at 11:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Meade, Florida, United States

Coordinates

27.8092, -81.6658

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N3921W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

James A. Caldwell

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Meade → Marsh Harbor

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA03LA111

Nobody was injured.

Thew failure of the pilot to abort the takeoff after travelling past the estimated point of liftoff, and failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed during the initial climb resulting in inadvertent stall and uncontrolled descent with subsequent impact onto the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he performed weight and balance calculations before the flight by asking the passenger's their weights and estimating the weights of the passenger's bags. He calculated the airplane was in center of gravity and weight limits. He performed a preflight inspection of the airplane, no discrepancies were noted. Before takeoff from the 3,000-foot-grass strip with approximately 4-inch tall grass, he performed an engine run-up with no discrepancies noted. He lowered the flaps to 10 degrees and initiated a short/soft field takeoff; he applied full power while rolling onto the runway. The engine responded and he estimated the airplane became airborne approximately 3/4 down the runway. While airborne at 20 feet above ground level, the airplane, "...stalled came back down and began sliding." The airplane traveled through 3 fences before coming to rest. He further stated he expected the airplane should have become airborne about 1/2 way down the runway, and there was no mechanical failure or malfunction. The airplane was recovered and no repairs to the engine or its systems were performed. With FAA oversight, the engine was started and operated to 2,000 rpm. Safety concerns prevented operation to a higher rpm; no discrepancies were noted during the engine run. The engine was operated with the fuel selector positioned to the tank that had been selected for takeoff (right main fuel tank).

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.