Piper PA28 N43503

Summary

On 1 July 2015 at about 21:04 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N43503, operated by Kempfer, Roger L, was involved in an accident near Galax Hillsville, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 July 2015 at 21:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Galax Hillsville, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Twin County Airport (HLX)

Coordinates

36.7725, -80.8214

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N43503

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Kempfer, Roger L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dublin → Galax Hillsvill

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA257

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while turning onto the final approach leg of the traffic pattern, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting a cross-country personal flight and reported that the airplane was on the final approach leg of the traffic pattern when it impacted terrain short of the runway. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation; however, he could not recall what occurred just before or during the accident sequence. The pilot-rated passenger noted that the airplane was low during the final approach and that he put his hand on the pilot's hand to add power but that the airplane impacted the ground about that time. Although the pilot indicated that he believed that the airplane might have descended due to a microburst, he noted that it was not raining at the time of the accident. Further, there was no evidence of any microburst activity within 10 miles of the accident site about the time of the accident and no indications of any outflow boundary or gust front. An airplane performance study using GPS and reported wind data revealed that the pilot was slowing the airplane while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, and that, while turning onto the final approach leg of the traffic pattern, he continued slowing it while turning onto the base and final legs of the traffic pattern. While on the final approach leg of the traffic pattern, he allowed the airplane to slow to near the stall speed. It is likely that the airplane exceeded its critical angle-of-attack during the turn at low airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and the airplane's subsequent impact with terrain short of the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.