N4796L

On March 14, 1999, at 1703 hours Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N4796L, descended into the ground during the takeoff initial climb at the Truckee-Tahoe Airport, Truckee, California. The airplane, owned and operated by Empire Aero Club of Santa Rosa, California, sustained substantial damage. The private pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries; two other passengers were not injured. The airplane was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The pilot and his family were on a personal cross-country flight that originated at the Truckee-Tahoe airport with an intended destination of Santa Rosa. The pilot did not file a flight plan for the flight, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

The airport was reporting the winds were from 240 degrees at 13 knots gusting to 19 knots at the time of the accident. The pilot told Safety Board investigators that "the aircraft surprised me by lifting off sooner than expected." He estimated he lifted the airplane off the ground at 70 knots indicated airspeed. An operations supervisor at the airport told the Safety Board that the airplane stalled on takeoff on runway 28, and subsequently crashed approximately 1,000 feet north of the runway.

In his written statement, the pilot said that the windsock favored runway 28, with the winds from 240 degrees at 10 knots. He said the airplane lifted off before they reached the intersection of runway 19 and that it felt like a normal takeoff. During a subsequent interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the Reno Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), it was determined that the airplane lifted off approximately 2/10 mile from the end of runway 28. The pilot said that he didn't feel anything abnormal with the takeoff. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot said they were hit with a strong gust of wind from the south. He said the left wing was pushed up and he leveled the airplane. He said he didn't feel the airplane had any power and that they were loosing speed and getting closer to the ground. He stated the airplane was "wobbling" and he tried to keep it level. The pilot said he was waiting for the power to come in so he could recover the airplane, but it never came back. As they impacted the ground, the left wing came into contact with a 4 x 6-foot post, which tore the left wing off.

An eyewitness to the accident who was sitting in the Regent Air main office stated he was looking out the window when he noticed that the aircraft "appeared to be slow and not climbing in a very nose high attitude." He said that at approximately 100 feet it began to descend, still in the nose high attitude, and veered to the north of runway 28. It then appeared to stall with the main wings wavering side to side. Then the left wing dropped significantly just before impact. According to the eyewitness, weather conditions were VFR and the winds were out of the south approximately 5-10 knots with the recommended runway 19. The eyewitness is an instrument and commercial pilot with single engine land, multiengine land, certified flight instructor including instruments, and multiengine flight instructor including instruments.

The airplane manufacturer told Safety Board investigators that if the airplane took off with zero flaps and full power at 85 knots indicated airspeed, the airplane would climb out at a 450 foot-per-minute rate of climb. Based on the temperature and field elevation of the airport of 5,900 feet msl, the density altitude of the airport was calculated to be 6,400 feet msl.

The engine manufacturer conducted an engine examination and engine operational check at the request of the Safety Board. The examination was conducted on March 23, 1999, with an FAA Airworthiness Inspector present from the Sacramento FSDO. The engine examination revealed that the spark plugs were undamaged, and, according to the Lycoming representative, displayed coloration consistent with normal operation. The magneto to engine timing was checked and found to be within manufacturer specifications. The throttle and mixture controls were securely attached to their respective control levers at the carburetor, and continuity was established to the cockpit controls. The Lycoming representative said that the throttle and mixture controls were observed to operate to their full travel limits when the cockpit controls were manipulated.

The Lycoming representative then conducted an engine operational check. According to his written report, the engine was started utilizing normal procedures. After a sufficient warm-up period, the engine throttle was advanced to obtain 1,700 rpm and a magneto check confirmed continuity to the magneto switch and that both magnetos were operating. The mag drop check obtained a 75-rpm drop at each magneto. The throttle was advanced to the full throttle stop and 2,200 rpm was maintained for approximately 2 minutes. The Lycoming representative concluded that the engine operated smoothly with no abnormal conditions noted.