Piper PA-39 N230SW

Summary

On 13 December 2003 at about 18:04 local time, a Piper PA-39 registered N230SW, operated by Skyway Aircraft Inc., was involved in an accident near Kissimmee, Florida, United States. 2 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.

Date

13 December 2003 at 18:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Kissimmee, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM)

Coordinates

28.2917, -81.4383

Aircraft

Piper PA-39

Registration

N230SW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Skyway Aircraft Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kissimmee → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

NTSB number

ATL04LA052

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control which resulted in a collision with terrain and obstacles following a loss of right engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During takeoff the right engine lost power. Approximately 20 feet above the ground after takeoff, the airplane was drifting to the right and the pilot said that he "chopped" the left engine and landed on the right side of runway 15 in the grass. The airplane bounced over taxiway B and then hit a runway sign and a taxi light. The pilot did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. Examination of the wreckage revealed damage to the left wing and a severed left tip tank. The fuel selectors were found in the center position and there were a total of 14 gallons of fuel onboard. The engines were taken to Sunstate Aviation at Kissimmee Airport for further examination. The magneto checks were good and both engines were run for 20 minutes, up to a power setting of 2650 rpm. Both engines had no difficulty starting, going through power settings or maintaining maximum output power. A review of performance data from the Pilot's Operating Handbook, revealed that the accelerate stop distance is 2470 feet. Runway 15 is 6000 feet long by 100 feet wide, and the airplane came to rest approximately 3400 feet from the departure end of the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.