Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA 28-235 near Georgetown, CO — 2014-06-30

Final reportCEN14FA328
Sign in to save
Date
2014-06-30
Location
Georgetown, CO, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA 28-235
Registration
N8814W
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
3
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The pilot’s inability to maintain a climb while maneuvering the airplane in high-density altitude conditions that degraded the airplane’s climb performance and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack, which led to an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and his decision to fly into mountainous terrain.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and his decision to fly into mountainous terrain.

NTSB narrative

A customer service manager at the fixed-base operator (FBO) reported that the pilot, who was preparing for the cross-country flight, was looking for information on how to fly over the mountains. At that time, there was no one at the FBO who could provide him information on mountain flying, and no posted information was available. She later heard that the pilot planned to take off under visual flight rules and fly through the mountains along the interstate. Radar data showed that the airplane took off to the west, turned south, and then climbed to about 10,400 ft mean sea level (msl). Once the airplane reached the interstate, it turned west toward the mountains and followed the interstate. About 25 minutes after taking off, when the airplane was at 10,200 ft msl, radar contact with the airplane was lost. Witnesses near the accident site were consistent with their accounts, which indicated that the airplane was flying between about 11,000 and 11,500 ft msl (200 to 300 ft above the ground) with the engine producing power. The airplane was in a nose-high attitude when it started turning left away from rising terrain. The airplane then turned about 180 degrees, rolled over to the left, and entered a steep dive before impacting trees and terrain. One of the witnesses indicated that, before the left turn, the airplane's path seemed pretty flat with little gain in altitude. A postimpact fire ensued, which consumed most of the airplane. A postaccident examination confirmed flight control continuity and revealed no preimpact anomalies with the engine or airplane systems that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not use any weather or flight planning services. No evidence was found that the pilot had obtained training in mountain flying. A weather model determined that, at the time of the accident, the density altitude was about 12,850 ft, which would have reduced the airplane's climb rate by more than 90 percent. It is likely that, as the pilot attempted to cross over the mountainous terrain, he raised the airplane's nose such that the airplane was beyond its critical angle-of-attack, which, combined with the airplane's decreased climb performance, led to an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have sought mountain flying information before departure.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 32 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents32

Related mishaps