Piper PA-32R-300 N5765R
18 August 1994 · Chinle, Arizona, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 August 1994 at about 15:17 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N5765R, operated by Ronald E. Pate, was involved in an accident near Chinle, Arizona, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:17
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Chinle, Arizona, United States
- Nearest airport
- Chinle (Q32)
- Coordinates
- 36.2309, -109.5700
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Registration
- N5765R
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Ronald E. Pate
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Page
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX94LA326
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
the pilot's premature liftoff, and his failure to attain the appropriate airspeed during a takeoff attempt under high density altitude conditions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT SAID THE AIRPLANE'S (NORMALLY ASPIRATED) ENGINE DID NOT PRODUCED ADEQUATE POWER TO CLIMB OVER TERRAIN LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE AIRSTRIP. DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE AIRPLANE INITIALLY BECAME AIRBORNE UPON REACHING AN AIRSPEED OF 65 KNOTS. THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED BETWEEN 2 AND 4 FEET ABOVE THE DIRT RUNWAY'S SURFACE, AND THEN IT SETTLED BACK ONTO THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT CONTINUED THE TAKEOFF ROLL, AND AFTER ACCELERATING TO 70 KNOTS, IT AGAIN BECAME AIRBORNE. AS THE AIRPLANE FLEW PAST THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY, THE LANDING GEAR COLLIDED WITH THE PERIMETER BOUNDARY FENCE, THEN THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH GRADUALLY RISING TERRAIN. THE PILOT SAID THAT AT THE TIME OF THE MISHAP THERE WAS NO WIND OR TURBULENCE, AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS 78 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. BASED UPON THIS DATA, THE SAFETY BOARD CALCULATED THAT THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,900 FEET. AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE CHARTS NOTED THAT UNDER THE ALTITUDE AND TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS, THE DISTANCE TO CLEAR A 50-FOOT OBSTACLE IS OFF THE CHART; HOWEVER, INTERPOLATION YIELDS A MINIMUM DISTANCE OF 4,800 FEET. THE PREDICTED RATE OF CLIMB IS 150 FEET PER MINUTE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-32R accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jan 1994 | Piper PA-32R-301 | Live Oak, Florida, United States | Barker, Sirios C. | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Apr 1994 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Salem, Ohio, United States | Affordable Leasing, Inc. | Fatal | 3 |
| 19 Aug 1994 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Roanoke, Virginia, United States | Kulwicki, Joseph F. | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 Feb 1994 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Norfolk, Virginia, United States | Guardione Vincent & Michael | No injuries | - |
| 22 Feb 1994 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Berlin, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 1994 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Tripui, Mexico | Flyers, Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Sep 1994 | Cessna 210L | Payson, Arizona, United States | Dairy Queen of S. Arizona, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 1994 | James B Edwards COZY | Skull Valley, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Sep 1994 | Robinson R-22 | Benson, Arizona, United States | Same AS Registered Owner | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1994 | Bell 206-B3 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | U.s. Forest Service | Unknown | - |
| 4 Jan 1994 | Bell 206B | Coolidge Dam, Arizona, United States | Southwest Helicopters, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Nov 1994 | Cessna 172K | Springerville, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |