Piper PA28R N34PT

Summary

On 25 July 2023 at about 23:06 local time, a Piper PA28R registered N34PT was involved in an accident near Churchville, Maryland, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 July 2023 at 23:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Churchville, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Harford County (0W3)

Coordinates

39.5801, -76.2091

Aircraft

Piper PA28R

Registration

N34PT

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

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23FA313

1 person died.

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control that the pilot did not recover from.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot told a mechanic that he was planning to remain in the airport traffic pattern to make sure the airplane was ready for a long cross-country flight the next morning. An earwitness reported hearing the airplane begin its takeoff roll and continued to hear engine noises for a total of about 45 seconds until the airplane impacted the ground. The one eyewitness described the airplane as being in a steep left turn with the wings perpendicular to the ground just before it impacted the terrain. The accident occurred on the first flight after having a new interior and propeller installed, and after the completion of an annual inspection. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The ground impact scars at the accident site, compact distribution of wreckage, and the eyewitness statement were consistent with the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall and left rotating spin in the left crosswind segment of the traffic pattern. At impact, the landing gear were selected to the down position and the flaps were set to the full position, which was not consistent with the with the configurations in the airframe manufacturer’s operating manual for either normal or short-field takeoff procedures. It is possible that this configuration, particularly the fully extended flaps, degraded the airplane’s climb performance and contributed to the aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.