N3029Y

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On September 23, 2008, about 1355 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300, N3029Y, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain during an attempt to return to Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), Atlanta, Georgia shortly after takeoff. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan was filed.

According to relatives of the pilot, the pilot resided in Michigan, and he flew his Beechcraft Bonanza to PDK the day prior to the accident, in order to complete the sale of the Bonanza. The pilot planned to take the accident airplane in partial trade for the Bonanza, and fly it back to Michigan.

According to the pilot who delivered the accident airplane to PDK, it was kept in a hangar at Craig Municipal Airport (CRG), Jacksonville, Florida. The delivery pilot stated that the flight was uneventful, and that he arrived at PDK about 0845, about 5 to 10 minutes after the Bonanza. Shortly after arrival, the delivery pilot permitted the accident pilot to conduct a pre-buy examination of the accident airplane. The delivery pilot assisted the pilot with removal of the upper engine cowl, and the pilot removed several other access panels from the airplane. The delivery pilot stated that the examination took about a half hour, and then the cowling and access panels were re-installed. He also stated that the pilot told him that he was satisfied with the condition of the airplane, and that he planned to depart in it the following day.

The delivery pilot said that he departed CRG with full fuel, and that after arrival at PDK, he requested a fuel top-off from the fixed-base operator (FBO). FBO records indicated that 34 gallons were added to the accident airplane, and that the fuel transaction was closed out at 1552 the day prior the accident.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) information from the PDK air traffic control tower, on the day of the accident, the pilot contacted ground control about 1344, and stated that he was planning to depart "northbound" for Coldwater, Michigan. He also requested flight-following services. The ground controller cleared the pilot to taxi to runway 2L, provided him with a frequency to contact Atlanta departure control for flight following once airborne, and instructed the pilot to advise ground control after he completed his pre-flight run-up. At 1349:31, the pilot advised ground control that he was ready for takeoff. The controller again instructed him to taxi to runway 2L, and to monitor the tower frequency. At 1351:13 the local controller approved N3029Y for a "left turnout," and cleared the airplane for takeoff from runway 2L. The pilot acknowledged the takeoff clearance. At 1352:19, the local controller instructed the pilot to contact Atlanta departure control; the pilot did not respond to this communication, and there was no record of any contact between the airplane and Atlanta departure control. At 1354:17, the pilot transmitted "atlanta tower, atlanta tower" on the PDK local control frequency. The PDK local controller responded immediately with "this is Peachtree tower," and at 1354:52 the pilot transmitted "peachtree tower, I have an emergency, three two nine yankee, uh, I'm uh, (unintelligible) I need to land again." Twice, at 1355:03 and 1355:15, the local controller queried the pilot regarding his request and the nature of the emergency, but no other transmissions were received from the airplane. About 1355, the airplane struck trees and terrain in a residential neighborhood approximately 2 miles north-northwest of PDK. There was no fire.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine land, single engine sea, and instrument ratings, and a private pilot certificate with an airplane multiengine land rating. FAA records indicated that the pilot’s most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued in June 2007, and that he reported 4,900 total hours of flight experience at that time. The pilot's logbook listed 5,031 total hours of flight experience as of September 20, 2008. The flight to PDK was not included in the logbook. The logbook entries also stated that the pilot had 4,020 hours in single-engine airplanes, and 1,107 hours in multi-engine airplanes, which summed to a total of 5,127 hours. The reason(s) for the discrepancy between the listed total and the sum of the single- and multi-engine times could not be determined. The logbook indicated that the pilot had accrued approximately 37, 61 and 91 hours respectively, all in single-engine airplanes, in the 30, 60 and 90 days prior to the accident. The pilot's previous experience in the accident airplane make and model was not determined.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was manufactured in 1979. It was a six place, low wing airplane of all-metal construction, with fixed, tricycle-configuration landing gear. According to the Pilots Operating Handbook (POH), the airplane was equipped with two fuel tanks that held a total of 94 gallons of usable fuel. Each POH-designated "tank" was actually comprised of two separate but interconnected tanks in each wing. The fuel selector valve had three positions: "OFF, LEFT, and RIGHT." The airplane was equipped with conventional flight controls that included a stabilator. Secondary flight controls included manually actuated flaps and pitch trim. The cockpit entrance door was on the right side of the airplane, and a double-door on the aft left side of the fuselage allowed for passenger and baggage loading.

The airplane was equipped with a Lycoming IO-540 piston engine, and a Hartzell three-blade, constant-speed propeller. The engine was overhauled by Lycoming in December 2005, placed in service in March 2006, and had accumulated approximately 350 hours in service as of the date of the accident. The most recent annual inspection was accomplished in April 2008. At the time of the annual inspection, the airplane tachometer registered a total time in service of 5,511.71 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane tachometer registered 5759.78 hours.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The 1302 special weather observation at PDK included winds from 100 degrees, variable between 060 and 130 degrees, at 7 knots, clear skies, 10 miles visibility, temperature 26 degrees C, dew point 12 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.28 inches of mercury.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The accident site was located in a residential neighborhood, approximately 1 3/4 miles north of the threshold of PDK runway 16. According to witnesses in the vicinity of the accident site, none of them saw the airplane prior to its first tree strike, and most only heard, rather than saw, the accident. Some witnesses reported hearing the engine, while others reported that they did not hear the engine.

Witness marks indicated that the airplane first struck two trees at the northern boundary of a residential property, approximately 30 feet above the tree bases. Approximately 42 feet beyond the first trees, the airplane struck another tree approximately 12 feet above its base. About 34 feet beyond that, the airplane impacted trees and a 5-foot high earthen berm. Airplane debris and displaced earth from the berm splayed out approximately 60 feet beyond the berm, to where the main wreckage was located. The main wreckage consisted of the engine, cockpit/cabin, aft fuselage and empennage. The debris path was oriented along a heading of approximately 160 degrees magnetic.

The cockpit/cabin came to rest inverted, pointing back along the debris path. The aft fuselage and empennage were relatively intact, and remained attached to the cockpit/cabin, but the aft fuselage was bent and came to rest pointing up, with the vertical stabilizer pointing in the direction of travel. The cockpit door, and fragments of the wings, cowl and landing gear, were distributed along the debris path. All fuel tanks were severely compromised.

One propeller blade was found separated from the propeller hub, near the berm. The blade was bent approximately 90 degrees forward near the mid-span point, and exhibited chordwise scratching, and trailing edge S-bending. The other two blades remained attached to the hub, which was located just short of the main wreckage. One blade was jammed in approximately the feathered position, bent aft approximately 20 degrees at the root, and exhibited chordwise scratching. The outboard 4-inch portion of the blade was bent forward. The other blade rotated freely in the hub, was bent aft approximately 75 degrees near the mid-span point, and was missing the outboard 4 inches. The blade exhibited leading edge gouges, chordwise scratching, and trailing edge S-bending.

The engine was found inverted, and partially attached to the firewall by cables and the engine mount. The engine mount was severely distorted, and most fittings were fractured. The firewall was heavily crumpled, and its central area was covered a white powdery layer consistent with corrosion. The firewall was penetrated at the approximate center of the powdered area. The airplane battery was fractured and crushed against the aft side of the firewall, and was visible from the forward side of the firewall through the penetration.

The engine case was intact, with no cracks or penetrations. The engine oil sump was fractured and penetrated at its forward end. The exhaust system was crushed up and aft. The rocker arm cover and a portion of the No. two cylinder were separated from the engine, and were found early in the debris path. Most of the engine accessories were found separated from the engine. The two oil coolers remained attached to the engine. The left oil cooler was crushed and compromised, and the right one was intact. The three hoses associated ...