Piper PA23 N62792

Summary

On 21 September 2011 at about 16:22 local time, a Piper PA23 registered N62792, operated by Brian J Mettler, was involved in an accident near Truckee, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 September 2011 at 16:22

Classification

Accident

Location

Truckee, California, United States

Nearest airport

Truckee- Tahoe (TRK)

Coordinates

39.3194, -120.1422

Aircraft

Piper PA23

Registration

N62792

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Brian J Mettler

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Truckee → Bakersfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA460

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain an airspeed at or above the airplane's minimum controllable airspeed, which resulted in a loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the partial loss of power from the left engine as a result of a clogged fuel nozzle.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that before takeoff he performed his normal engine run-up and all checks were normal. After taking off, and while between 70 to 100 feet above the ground, he felt a vibration in the left engine, which was running rough. The pilot stated that he checked the engines and attempted to reduce power but that he didn’t have sufficient time to react. The airplane subsequently rolled to the left. He described the event as a "classic VMC stall." During the postaccident examination of the left engine, foreign debris was found in the No. 2 fuel nozzle, which most likely caused the engine to run rough. However, even though the left engine may have been running rough and not producing full takeoff power, the right engine was operating properly, and, if the pilot had maintained the airspeed at or above the airplane’s minimum controllable airspeed, he should have been able to maintain control. The pilot’s failure to maintain the airspeed resulted in the uncontrollable left roll and subsequent impact with the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.