NTSB Identification: CEN15FA232
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident
occurred
Saturday, May 16, 2015
in
Spring Branch, TX
Aircraft:
PIPER PA 24-260, registration:
N9032P
Injuries: 4 Fatal.
A witness at 1T7 saw the accident airplane taxi from the common area/hangars on the north taxiway and saw it headed to runway 12. There was a strong quartering headwind for runway 12. The witness estimated the wind was 20 knots sustained, gusting 25-30 knots. He watched the accident airplane's takeoff roll. The aircraft climbed and was about 20-30 feet in the air when it was abeam the witness.
The aircraft's nose dropped for a couple seconds after it passed him. It then started climbing out and the witness saw and heard the landing gear retracting. The airplane was about 100 feet above the ground. The aircraft then looked like it weather vaned into the wind and continued climbing to about 200-300 feet above the ground. At that point, the witness stopped watching the airplane. He stated that he did not notice anything fall off the airplane or anything unusual about the appearance of sound of the airplane during its taxi by and its takeoff.
Preliminary witness reports indicated that the airplane banked left during the takeoff, descended steeply, and impacted terrain near a store parking lot.
A video file from that store parking lot camera was reviewed. The video showed that a flame, consistent with a ground fire, started at 1231.
The 38-year-old pilot held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and multi engine land ratings. He held a FAA airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate. A preliminary review of FAA records show that the pilot's last medical examination was completed on March 29, 2010, when he was issued a first-class medical certificate with no limitations. On the application for that medical certificate, the pilot reported that he had accumulated 96 hours of total flight time.
N9032P, a 1966 model Piper PA-24-260, Comanche, serial number 24-4494, was an all-metal airplane with semimonocoque fuselage and empennage construction. The airplane's type certificate data indicated that it seated four and had a maximum gross weight of 3,100 pounds. The airplane was powered by a 260-horsepower, six-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air cooled, fuel injected engine, normally aspirated engine, with a data plate marked as Lycoming IO-540-D4A5, serial number L-3449-48. The airplane was equipped with wing flaps, a two-bladed constant speed Hartzell model propeller, and retractable tricycle landing gear.
Some of the accident airplane's logbooks were reviewed at the pilot's hangar. Endorsements showed that an annual inspection was completed on September 3, 2012. The airplane had accumulated a total time of 8,690.9 hours at that time. Recent airplane logbooks were not found within the hangar.
A receipt showed that the airplane was serviced at 1T7 with 49.7 gallons of aviation gasoline (avgas) on May 16, 2015 at 1059.
Preliminary information indicated that N9032P was involved in a ground accident in November of 2013. The airplane's left wing impacted a hangar and it sustained damage. The airplane was salvaged and subsequently sold the pilot.
At 1206, the recorded weather at the San Antonio International Airport (SAT), near San Antonio, Texas, was: Wind 150 degrees at 13 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition scattered clouds at 2,200 feet, broken clouds at 3,000 feet, broken clouds at 4,300 feet; temperature 27 degrees C; dew point 22 degrees; altimeter 29.88 inches of mercury.
At 1251, the recorded weather at SAT was: Wind 160 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 22 knots; visibility 9 statute miles; sky condition scattered clouds at 2,300 feet, broken clouds at 3,700 feet, broken clouds at 4,800 feet; temperature 28 degrees C; dew point 22 degrees; altimeter 29.86 inches of mercury.
1T7, located about 26 miles north of San Antonio, Texas, was a non-towered airport, which was privately owned and operated by the Kestrel Airpark Runway Association. The airport is a public use airport. Its field elevation was 1,261 feet above mean sea level. The airport listed 122.975 megahertz as its common traffic advisory frequency. The airport is serviced by one runway: runway 12/30. The runway is listed as a 3,000-foot by 40-foot asphalt runway. The runway has an operational restriction listed, which indicated that runway 30 rises rapidly at its north end.
A postaccident on-scene investigation was conducted. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. The airplane came to rest on terrain and on top of a retaining wall adjacent to a store parking lot about 1/4 mile and 22 degrees from the intersection of US Highway 281 North and Flightline Drive. The airplane's left wing separated from its fuselage and it was found resting on the side of a retaining wall. The left wing exhibited an outboard skin section that was not painted. This section was consistent with a wing skin replacement. The unpainted section was intact and it remained attached to its wing.
The airplane's fuselage and empennage was found resting on terrain at the top of the retaining wall. The cockpit was deformed, discolored, and sections consumed consistent with a ground fire. The right wing was also deformed, discolored, and an inboard section of it was consumed by fire. The empennage was deformed forward into the fuselage in an accordion like fashion. An outboard section of the left horizontal stabilizer was deformed and discolored. The nylock nuts that held the horizontal stabilizer were in-place and could be removed by fingertip pressure. Flight control cables were traced from the cockpit to each control surface. All observed separations in the flight control system were consistent with overload. The flaps and landing gear were found in their retracted positions.
The engine and propeller were found forward of the fuselage near the base of a tree that was discolored consistent with a coating of soot. One propeller blade was separated near its hub and the other propeller blade's tip was separated. The separated tip exhibited chordwise gouges on its flat face. The engine was intact and displayed no signs of catastrophic failure.
The engine's accessory case was discolored and deformed. The right magneto and the aft section of the engine driven fuel pump were not in place on the accessory case. The top spark plugs and accessory case were removed. The engine's crankshaft was rotated by hand. Crankshaft continuity was confirmed from the propeller flange to each of the cylinders and to the accessory drive gears. A thumb compression check was performed and all cylinders exhibited a thumb compression. The left magneto exhibited thermal deformation and discoloration.
The fuel manifold was intact and its disassembly revealed a trapped liquid that contained water as detected by water disclosing paste. The fuel servo was deformed and discolored. Engine control cables were traced from the cockpit to their respective engine controls. All separations in the engine controls were consistent with overload. The components did not display any anomalies that could not be attributed to the post accident fire.
Members of the pilot's family were asked to locate the pilot's logbook and recent airplane logbooks for review.
The Comal County Coroner was asked to arrange for an autopsy to be completed on the pilot to include taking samples for toxicological testing
This
is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors.
Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has
been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this
investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work
without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to
prepare this aircraft accident report.