Piper PA-42 N81SM
7 February 1987 · Horseshoe Bay, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 7 February 1987 at about 14:40 local time, a Piper PA-42 registered N81SM was involved in an accident near Horseshoe Bay, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 14:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Horseshoe Bay, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Horseshoe Bay (4R2)
- Coordinates
- 30.5702, -98.2705
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-42
- Registration
- N81SM
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Horseshoe Bay → Austin
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW87FA061
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT MADE A FAIRLY LONG TAXI FROM THE RAMP TO THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND THEN STARTED HIS TAKEOFF ROLL WITH THE PARKING BRAKE STILL PARTIALLY SET. THE BRAKES BECAME VERY HOT AND THE COMPONENT PARTS EXPANDED. AFTER ROLLING ALMOST 3,000 FEET THE BRAKES TIGHTENED UP TO THE EXTENT THAT BOTH MAIN GEAR TIRES STARTED LEAVING BLACK SKID MARKS WHICH CONTINUED UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT RAN OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY WITHOUT OBTAINING FLYING SPEED, A DISTANCE OF 3,168 FEET. IT WAS NOTED, THROUGH A DESIGN FEATURE OF THE AIRCRAFT, THAT THE PARKING BRAKE HANDLE COULD BE PLACED IN THE RELEASED POSITION WITHOUT THE BRAKE BEING RELEASED. HOWEVER, THIS WOULD GIVE THE APPEARANCE THAT IT HAD BEEN RELEASED. THE MAIN GEAR TIRES WERE WORN ALMOST SLICK DURING THIS ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF. BOTH MAIN GEAR BRAKES HAD BEEN OVERHEATED DURING THIS TIME TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY WERE DESTROYED. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY COLLISION WITH TREES, ROCKS AND A FIRE HYDRANT AT THE BOTTOM OF A HILL OFF THE END OF THE RWY.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-42 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1988 | Piper PA-42-720 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 1986 | Piper PA-42-720 | Rochester, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jun 1985 | Piper PA-42 | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | Atlanta Air Service | Fatal | 2 |
| 31 Oct 1992 | Piper PA-42 | Grand Junction, Colorado, United States | Alpine Aviation | Fatal | 3 |
| 5 May 2001 | Piper PA-42-1000 | Nurnberg, Germany | Max Schaldach | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 Jan 2002 | Piper PA-42-720 | Ames, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1987 | Cessna 152 | New Caney, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Oct 1987 | Cessna 150 | San Angelo, Texas, United States | David Sibley | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 1987 | Cessna 182P | Refugio, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Nov 1987 | Piper PA-18-150 | Dallas, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 1987 | Piper PA-23-250 | George West, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1987 | Cessna 172P | Roanoke, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |