Pilot Debrief

Piper PA46 near Sparta, TN — 2019-07-27

Final reportGAA19CA456
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Date
2019-07-27
Location
Sparta, TN, USA
Airport
SRB
Aircraft
Piper PA46
Registration
N12KW
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain the runway heading during an aborted takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with a sign and terrain. Contributing to the need to abort the takeoff was the pilot's improper decision to take off with the airplane over its maximum gross takeoff weight.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during takeoff, everything appeared "good" until he saw a yellow warning light illuminate. He remembered seeing the letters "hydr…" on the light and became concerned about the landing gear. He decided to abort the takeoff and reduced power and held back pressure on the yoke. He added that he intentionally "let" the airplane go left over grass. As the airplane decelerated, he saw a taxiway sign ahead, the stall warning horn sounded, and the airplane settled back onto the ground on the taxiway sign. The pilot then pulled the yoke full aft and added right brake, and the airplane impacted a ditch. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector corroborated the pilot's statement. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The FAA inspector reported that, during postaccident examination, no warning lights were noted. The pilot reported that, before the flight, he performed weight and balance calculations. He added that the airplane was more than 300 lbs over the maximum allowable gross weight and was "heavy aft." He reported that he had seven people on board the six-seat airplane; six people were sitting in a seat, and one person was sitting on the floor.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Abort takeoff earlier after seeing warning light instead of attempting to continue.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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