Piper PA 28R-201 N3398M

Summary

On 19 March 2014 at about 23:32 local time, a Piper PA 28R-201 registered N3398M, operated by Harvey and Rihn Aviation, TX, was involved in an accident near Ruidoso, New Mexico, 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

19 March 2014 at 23:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Ruidoso, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Sierra Blanca Rgnl (SRR)

Coordinates

33.4656, -105.5486

Aircraft

Piper PA 28R-201

Registration

N3398M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Harvey and Rihn Aviation, TX

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ruidoso → Carlsbad

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14CA164

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to adjust the engine's fuel-air mixture and decision to takeoff in high density attitude conditions which degraded the airplane's performance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot initiated the takeoff roll from runway 30 with the throttle and mixture control in the full forward position. When the airspeed reached 65 knots, the airplane began to climb and the pilot noticed that the airplane was not accelerating. He flew over the departure end of runway 30 at 100 feet and started a shallow left turn. He noticed that the landing gear indicator lights were illuminated green so he adjusted the landing gear lever down and then up again. The pilot continued to be distracted when the green lights remained illuminated. He then decided to fly to runway 6 and make a forced landing. The airplane was still 100 above the ground and began to lose altitude. The pilot made a forced landing straight ahead into a field and the airplane struck several trees. Prior to departure, the fuel tanks were filled with 40 gallons of fuel and the airplane contained 40 pounds of luggage. The calculated density altitude for the flight was about 7,800 feet. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the information gathered, it is likely that the airplanes performance was degraded due to a high density altitude and a rich fuel-air mixture.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.