Piper PA46-500TP N2589U

Summary

On 29 April 2013 at about 01:59 local time, a Piper PA46-500TP registered N2589U, operated by Richard Alden, was involved in an accident near Bryce, Utah, United States. 6 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

29 April 2013 at 01:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Bryce, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Bryce Canyon (BCE)

Coordinates

37.7064, -112.1458

Aircraft

Piper PA46-500TP

Registration

N2589U

Category

Airplane

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Richard Alden

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bryce → Heber City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA210

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to establish the minimum liftoff speed during takeoff with the airplane over its maximum gross weight, which resulted in the airplane’s failure to climb and a subsequent loss of directional control and a runway excursion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll, as the airplane was about 80 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS) and as he was pulling the control yoke back per his normal practice, the airplane lifted off the runway, but it would not climb higher than about 10 to 20 ft above ground level. He further reported that the takeoff rotation occurred about 3,100 ft down the 7,395-ft-long runway, that the airplane's nose rose to a higher pitch attitude than expected, and that the tail felt heavy or "squishy." The pilot reduced the throttle setting to lower the airplane's nose, but the airplane entered a left yaw with the left wing down. The pilot reapplied full throttle, but the airplane rolled slightly left. At this point, the airplane was over the dirt area between the main runway and the adjacent taxiway. The pilot suspected that the main landing gear dragged at different points with the airplane's nose still in a high-pitch attitude. The fuselage struck the ground, and the airplane subsequently slid to a stop. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook, given the reported meteorological conditions at the time of takeoff, the airplane's normal rotation speed would have been 82 KIAS for a 0-degree flap configuration at the maximum gross weight of 5,092 lbs, and the liftoff speed would have been 85 KIAS; the airplane's computed gross weight at the time of the accident was 5,218 lbs. In addition, the normal takeoff ground roll would have been 3,150 ft, and 4,800 ft would have been required to clear a 50-ft obstacle. Based on the evidence, it is likely that the pilot rotated the airplane at a slower airspeed than the published normal rotation speed with the airplane over its maximum gross weight limit and that the airplane was unable to climb after liftoff. The airplane's high-pitch attitude also likely prevented it from accelerating once the airplane lifted off.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.