Piper PA32 301FT N106C

Summary

On 16 October 2014 at about 17:15 local time, a Piper PA32 301FT registered N106C, operated by Knight Brothers Inc, was involved in an accident near Winona, Mississippi, United States. One person was 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

16 October 2014 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Winona, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Winona-Montgomery County (5A6)

Coordinates

33.4650, -89.7303

Aircraft

Piper PA32 301FT

Registration

N106C

Category

Airplane

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Knight Brothers Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Winona → Corinth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA019

Nobody was injured.

A loss of directional control during takeoff for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had maintenance conducted on the airplane's avionics, which included the replacement of the primary flight display (PFD). After the maintenance was completed, the pilot prepared to return to his home airport. A preflight inspection revealed no anomalies, and the steering system operated normally during taxi. During the takeoff roll, the pilot observed a red "X" indication over the airspeed indicator on the PFD. He "immediately started an emergency shutdown" of the airplane, during which the airplane began to drift left. He applied right rudder with no effect. The airplane subsequently departed the left side of the runway, continued across a grassy area, and impacted the airport perimeter fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and engine firewall. Postaccident examination of the nose landing gear steering system, rudder controls, and brake system revealed no anomalies, and no evidence of flight control binding or chafing was found. Maintenance facility personnel removed the newly replaced PFD before it could be examined; therefore, it could not be determined if its installation interfered with the airplane's flight control system. According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook, the emergency procedure for a loss of air data on the PFD was to maintain airspeed and altitude by referring to the standby airspeed and altimeter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.