Piper PA28 N716RL

Summary

On 25 July 2020 at about 14:10 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N716RL, operated by Robert Cole Perguson, was involved in an accident near San Antonio, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 July 2020 at 14:10

Classification

Accident

Location

San Antonio, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Stinson Muni (SSF)

Coordinates

29.3314, -98.4642

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N716RL

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Robert Cole Perguson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Antonio → San Antonio

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20LA305

1 person died.

The pilot’s improper decision to take off in an airplane over maximum gross weight and with a tailwind, which prevented the airplane from climbing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, a flight instructor who operated a business at the airport, was taking the two passengers on a local discovery flight to see if they wanted to pursue flight lessons. After takeoff, the pilot was unable to climb the airplane above the tall trees at the end of the runway, obstacles he was likely aware of due to his familiarity with the airport. Airport surveillance video showed that the airplane lifted off after a 1,700-ft-long ground roll and was in a nose-high attitude but not climbing and headed toward the trees, after which the airplane was out of the camera’s view. The airplane impacted trees and terrain about 2,400 ft from the departure end of the runway and was destroyed by impact damage and a postimpact fire. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. A weight and balance calculation for the accident flight showed that the airplane was operating about 73 lbs over its maximum gross weight of 2,150 lbs. The pilot elected to depart on a runway with a gusty tailwind component of 4 to 7 knots. The airplane’s observed takeoff ground roll of 1,700 ft was 50% longer than the 1,125 ft ground roll predicted by the airplane’s performance charts for a no-wind takeoff at gross weight, indicating that the over gross weight condition and the tail wind significantly degraded the airplane’s performance. It is likely that the pilot’s decision to take off with the airplane over maximum gross weight and a gusty tailwind prevented the airplane from climbing or maintaining altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.