Piper PA32 N43576

Summary

On 25 April 2016 at about 17:00 local time, a Piper PA32 registered N43576 was involved in an accident near Boone, North Carolina, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 April 2016 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Boone, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Boone Inc Airport (NC14)

Coordinates

36.1994, -81.6467

Aircraft

Piper PA32

Registration

N43576

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boone → Boone

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16FA169

1 person died.

The pilot's delayed decision to conduct a go-around following an unstabilized landing approach and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from trees near the end of the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot and two passengers were conducting a local flight from the pilot's home airport. One witness stated that his attention was drawn to the airplane due to its "very fast" landing approach. The airplane then disappeared from his view; shortly thereafter, he saw a plume of smoke in the area of a golf course on the northwest side of the airport. Several witnesses on the golf course stated that the airplane appeared to be taking off, and noted that it was "struggling," that it was "too low," and was "bobbing up and down." The airplane impacted a stand of 75-ft-tall pine trees and came to rest on the golf course, where it was consumed by a post-crash fire. The rear seat passenger was fatally injured; the pilot and front seat passenger received serious injuries. Neither the pilot nor the passenger could recall the events of the accident flight. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The landing runway measured 2,700 ft long by 40 ft wide. Given the witness observation of the airplane's fast approach speed, it is likely that the pilot initiated a go-around due to excessive airspeed and/or a lack of runway remaining on which to stop; however, it could not be determined when the pilot began the go-around maneuver. The airplane's low altitude as it climbed away from the runway suggests that the pilot may have initiated the go-around near touchdown or possibly even after touching down. Had the pilot started the go-around earlier, after recognizing the airplane's unstabilized approach due to excessive airspeed, he would have allowed more time to re-configure the airplane, establish a positive rate of climb, and clear the trees near the end of the runway. However, the late go-around placed the airplane in close proximity to the trees, from which the pilot subsequently failed to maintain lateral clearance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.