Piper PA-24-260 N8664P

Summary

On 23 September 1990 at about 18:15 local time, a Piper PA-24-260 registered N8664P, operated by Norfolk Navy Flying Club, was involved in an accident near Eliot, Maine, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 September 1990 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Eliot, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Littlebrook (3B4)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-260

Registration

N8664P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Norfolk Navy Flying Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Norfolk,

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC90FA227

4 people died.

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF. FACTORS WERE THE OVER WEIGHT CONDITION, UPSLOPING RUNWAY, PREMATURE ROTATION, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN TYPE AIRCRAFT AND GENERAL AVIATION OPERATIONS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE AIRPLANE WA APPROXIMATELY 48 POUNDS OVER MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT AND RUNWAY UPSLOPE WAS ABOUT 1/2 DEGREE. TAKEOFF GROUND ROLL FOR 0 AND 1 DEGREE UP WAS 1,075 AND 1,214 FT RESPECTIVELY. WITNESSES OBSERVED INITIAL ROTATION ATTEMPTED AFTER APPROX 800 FT OF ROLL. THEY ALSO REPORTED THAT THE NOSE ROSE OFF OF AND WENT BACK DOWN TO THE RUNWAY 2 OR 3 TIMES BEFORE THE AIRPLANE BECAME AIRBORNE AT THE END. TERRAIN DESCENDED AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRPLANE ROUGHLY DESCENDED PARALLEL TO THAT DOWNSLOPE IN GROUND EFFECT TO INITIAL TREE IMPACT 390 FEET LATER AT 10 FT AGL. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST AND WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE 561 FT FROM RUNWAY END. ALTHOUGH WITNESSES FELT ENGINE PERFORMANCE AND ACCELERATION WERE NOT OPTIMUM, NO DISCREPANCIES WERE DISCOVERED. MOST OF THE PILOT'S EXPERIENCE WAS IN HIGH PERFORMANCE USAF JETS. HE HAD 1 HOUR OF DUAL IN MAKE AND MODEL PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND 3 KNOWN DUAL FLIGHTS IN CIVILIAN AIRPLANES. THE ONLY RUNWAY USED DURING THIS TRAINING WAS THE 8,000 FT LONG.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.