Piper AEROSTAR 601 N700US

Summary

On 20 October 2002 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper AEROSTAR 601 registered N700US was involved in an accident near Agua Dulce, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 October 2002 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Agua Dulce, California, United States

Nearest airport

Agua Dulce Airpark (L70)

Coordinates

34.5025, -118.3139

Aircraft

Piper AEROSTAR 601

Registration

N700US

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Agua Dulce → Bullhead City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03FA013

3 people died.

the pilot's failure to attain and maintain a sufficient airspeed, which led to an inadvertent stall mush. The pilot's selection of the wrong runway for departure, considering the uphill gradient, the wind direction, and a takeoff path into rising terrain are also causal. The high denisty altitude and the degraded internal condition of the engines were factors.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane crashed into rising terrain after departure from an uncontrolled public airport. The runway used by the pilot is 4,600 feet long and has a 1.8 percent upward gradient. The density altitude was 4,937 feet msl, and a slight quartering tailwind existed at the time. The pilot held in position, powered up the engines, and started his departure. The airplane was observed using most of the runway length before rotation and then it assumed a higher than normal pitch attitude in the initial climb. Witnesses watched the airplane turn left following the route of a canyon and into rising terrain. The reciprocal runway departs towards decreasing elevations. In the area of the crash, two witnesses reported the airplane was at a low altitude, nose high, and wallowing just before it descended into a drainage area 0.69 miles from the runway. Post accident examination of the engines revealed worn camshaft lobes and tappets, which would negatively affect the ability of the engines to produce full rated power. One engine exhibited severe rust on the entire crankshaft. The accident site was located in a canyon, and the wreckage and ground scars was confined to an area about the diameter of the wing span. Major portions of the airframe and most of the engine accessories were consumed by a post accident fire. Examination of the wreckage established that all major components of the airframe and powerplants were at the site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.