Piper PA-32R-300 N3402Q

Summary

On 6 October 2010 at about 17:04 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N3402Q was involved in an accident near Naperville, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 October 2010 at 17:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Naperville, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Naper Aero Club Aero (LL10)

Coordinates

41.7453, -88.2006

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N3402Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Naperville → Pittsburgh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11FA007

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to abort the takeoff when he realized the airplane was not attaining sufficient takeoff and climb performance. Contributing to the accident was the airplane’s partial loss of engine power due to an obstruction of the fuel servo air inlet by the intake duct coupling and ingestion of exhaust gases from a preexisting hole in the exhaust pipe. Also contributing to the accident was the improper annual inspection of the airplane by the owner and two mechanics.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During takeoff, the pilot rotated the airplane beyond the airplane's takeoff ground roll distance and at a speed near the airplane’s stall speed. A witness saw the airplane climb with a nose-up pitch of about 20 degrees. Although the airplane had experienced a partial loss of engine power, as reported by the pilot, it was still able to climb while in a high pitch attitude and corresponding high drag attitude, which is indicative that the airplane had excess horsepower to climb and sustain flight at higher airspeeds and lower angles of attack. However, the pilot continued to attempt to climb rather than to abort the takeoff, exceeded the necessary power requirements, and was unable to sustain the climb; the airplane impacted a building. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s engine revealed a detached fuel servo air inlet coupling that would have perturbed or restricted airflow to the fuel servo, which resulted in the reduced engine power. The examination also revealed a preexisting hole in an exhaust pipe near the fuel servo that would have allowed hot exhaust gases to flow into the fuel servo air inlet, which would also result in reduced engine power. The airplane had undergone an annual inspection performed by the airplane’s owner and two mechanics with inspection authorizations 3 flight hours before the accident flight; the inspection should have identified the detached coupling and the hole in the exhaust pipe.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.