Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during an aborted landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, loss of control, and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to maintain a proper approach and landing speed during a precautionary landing following a loss of manifold pressure for reasons that could not be determined.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On March 1, 2018, about 1051 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32-300 airplane, N54476, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pompano Beach, Florida. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
During departure, while climbing through 800 ft mean sea level (msl), the pilot observed the engine manifold pressure falling and stated that it “sounded irregular.” The pilot-rated passenger told the pilot to “turn back,” after which the pilot informed air traffic control that they needed to return and land. The controller issued a clearance to land on runway 28. The pilot estimated that when the airplane touched down, the groundspeed was high and there was a “substantial” quartering tailwind.
Both the pilot and passenger reported that, during landing, the engine appeared to be developing full power, the throttle was unresponsive, and they were unable to reduce power. After touching down and bouncing several times, the pilot pulled the mixture to the idle/cut off position, but when there was not an immediate response, he attempted to take off again because the airplane was nearing the end of the runway. After applying full power and full-rich mixture, the airplane lifted off. The pilot entered an immediate turn to the right to stay over the airport and away from a hangar. The airplane climbed briefly, then started to descend as it continued banking to the right, then impacted the ground in front of a hangar about 1,000 ft northwest of the departure end of runway 28. The airplane skidded across the pavement and impacted two fences before coming to rest upright.
Both the tower controller who witnessed the landing and the pilot-rated passenger reported that the approach speed was high, and they may have touched down late. The controller further stated the touchdown was in the last third of the runway.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the outboard sections of both wings sheared off, the landing gear separated, and the engine partially separated from the firewall. Examination of the engine revealed no anomalies.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA18LA102