Piper PA 28-140 N3949K

Summary

On 8 July 2015 at about 20:15 local time, a Piper PA 28-140 registered N3949K was involved in an accident near Oakdale, Louisiana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 July 2015 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Oakdale, Louisiana, United States

Nearest airport

Private

Coordinates

30.9069, -92.6525

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-140

Registration

N3949K

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oakdale → Livingston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA301

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning resulting in the airplane not having adequate performance to climb and clear the trees off the end of the dirt runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he checked the windsock at his private airfield before takeoff and that it was hanging down, not moving. As he became airborne during takeoff, he experienced a 10 to 15 knot tail wind and began to lose altitude. He advanced the throttle to full power to gain altitude. The engine responded but the airplane continued to settle. The trees off the departure end of the runway were located about 1,655 ft away. Given the effects of density altitude, clearing the 40-ft trees would have required about 1,640 ft on a prepared surface; however, taking off on an unprepared surface and with the lack of lift due to the tailwind, the airplane hit trees and came to rest inverted on the ground. Had the pilot done proper preflight planning he would have realized he did not have adequate airplane performance to clear the trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.