Piper PA-32R-300 N38781
5 January 1992 · Edgartown, Massachusetts, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 5 January 1992 at about 19:30 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N38781, operated by Gary Mead, was involved in an accident near Edgartown, Massachusetts, United States. 5 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Edgartown, Massachusetts, United States
- Nearest airport
- Katama Airpark (1B2)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Registration
- N38781
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Gary Mead
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Danbury
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- BFO92LA021
People
3 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Probable cause
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ATTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE CROSSWIND, THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR THE WIND AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALIGNMENT WITH THE RUNWAY, AND HIGH OBSTRUCTIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ROTATED THE AIRPLANE FOR TAKEOFF BETWEEN 50 AND 55 KNOTS. HE NOTICED IMMEDIATELY THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT AND NOT CLIMBING VERY WELL. HE SAID HE LOOKED OUT OF THE SIDE WINDOW AND SAW THAT HE WAS GOING TO HIT SOME TREES, SO HE TURNED THE AIRPLANE LEFT AND PULLED BACK ON THE YOKE. HE STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE ROSE APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET IN ALTITUDE AND THEN STALLED. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A SHED SHEARING OFF A WING AND THEN HIT A FUEL PUMP SHERING OFF THE OTHER WING. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS DETERMINED THAT THERE WERE NO ANOMALIES WITH THE AIRPLANE AND THE AIRPLANE WAS FULLY FUELED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE WINDS WERE FROM 320 DEGREES AT 25 KNOTS AND THE GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE WAS 3,570 LBS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-32R accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb 1992 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | Pribyls Wings, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jul 1992 | Piper PA-32R-301T | Shafter, California, United States | Barry Zelner Prof. LAW Firm | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1992 | Piper PA-32R-301T | Greenville, Virginia, United States | Butler Air Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 1992 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Round Lake, Illinois, United States | Bitton, Daniel A. | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1992 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Farmington, Utah, United States | University Research Found. | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Feb 1992 | Piper PA-32R-301 | New York, New York, United States | Ronald F. Kaplan | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Aug 1992 | Piper PA-34-200T | Bedford, Massachusetts, United States | Edward Walter | No injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 1992 | Piper PA-32-260 | Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States | Alfred L. Moseley | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 1992 | Aerostar AX-9 | Hopkinton, Massachusetts, United States | Mario Distefano | No injuries | - |
| 13 Aug 1992 | Beechcraft 76 | Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States | John F. Mannix | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Oct 1992 | Beechcraft 55 | Leicester, Massachusetts, United States | Robert L. Powell | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Oct 1992 | Piper PA-38-112 | Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States | Beverly Flight Center, Inc. | No injuries | - |