Piper PA-22-160 N3629Z

Summary

On 19 March 1997 at about 00:45 local time, a Piper PA-22-160 registered N3629Z was involved in an accident near Bagdad, Arizona, 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

19 March 1997 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Bagdad, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Bagdad (E51)

Coordinates

34.5000, -113.0699

Aircraft

Piper PA-22-160

Registration

N3629Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Mesa

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX97FA126

4 people died.

failure of the pilot to obtain and/or maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff/initial climb, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the terrain. High density altitude was a related factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot made an unplanned stop at the airport due to a sick passenger, then about 30 minutes later, he took off again. Later, the density altitude at the airport was computed to be 6572 feet. After takeoff, the airplane was observed to enter a right crosswind turn, then it abruptly rolled and pitched downward. Reportedly, it remained in a nose down attitude until colliding with terrain. No preimpact mechanical failure was found. Investigation revealed the airplane, which was originally fabric covered, had been metalized; and its engine had been derated from 160 to 150 horsepower. Also, the airplane's propeller had been repitched (impact and ground fire damage precluded measurement of the blade pitch angles). The NOAA Airport/Facility Directory stated under airport remarks that there may be unusual air currents in the vicinity of the airport. Runway 05-23 exhibited a variable gradient; the terrain at the departure end of runway 05 dropped, then raised. The pilot had received his private certificate on 2/18/97. The investigation did not determine whether he had leaned the mixture for takeoff in high density altitude. Also, the takeoff gross weight of the airplane was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.