Piper PA-28-140 N7330J

Summary

On 19 March 2011 at about 19:10 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N7330J, operated by O P Harbour LLC, was involved in an accident near Ocean Springs, Mississippi, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 March 2011 at 19:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Ocean Springs, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Ocean Springs (5R2)

Coordinates

30.3869, -88.7519

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N7330J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

O P Harbour LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ocean Springs → Destin

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11LA196

1 person was seriously injured.

The airplane's overweight condition due to the pilot's improper weight and balance calculation that resulted in the airplane's inability to maintain altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he departed the airplane's base with full fuel tanks and flew 12 miles to pick up 3 passengers for a flight to a resort destination. The pilot boarded the passengers, loaded an estimated 40 pounds of luggage, and completed the engine start, run-up, magneto check, taxi, and takeoff roll with no anomalies noted. At 80 to 100 feet above the runway, the airplane would not climb. At that time, the pilot perceived a loss of engine power and noted that the engine rpm had decayed. The pilot checked the position of the engine controls, and responded to continuous stall warnings by lowering the nose, which resulted in a steady loss of altitude. He then selected a narrow street in a residential area, 1/2 mile from the airport, for the forced landing. The passengers' accounts of the accident were consistent with the pilot's, with the exception that they each estimated the weight of the baggage to be between 80 and 100 pounds. After the accident, the engine started and ran on the airframe with no anomalies noted. The airplane manufacturer's maximum allowable gross weight was 2,150 pounds. The estimated gross weight at takeoff, using the 40-pound baggage weight was 2,248 pounds.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.