Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-30 near Dayton, OH — 2013-06-20

Final reportCEN13LA361
Sign in to save
Date
2013-06-20
Location
Dayton, OH, USA
Airport
KDAY
Aircraft
PIPER PA-30
Registration
N7017Y
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot’s loss of control of the airplane for reasons that could not be undetermined because a postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that, during the preflight inspection of the airplane, he found a small amount of water in the right inboard fuel tank. The pilot inspected the other fuel tanks and did not find any water; he then rechecked the right inboard fuel tank and did not find any additional water. During startup, the right engine stopped, but the pilot restarted it and ran it with a higher rpm during warm-up. The pilot stated that the taxi and run-up were performed without hesitation or problems but that the takeoff run seemed "sluggish" and that the airplane then drifted right. The pilot was unable to correct the drift by applying rudder, so he reduced the throttles and chose to perform a force landing on a closed taxiway. The airplane landed short of the taxiway and impacted a bump in the terrain, which caused the landing gear to collapse. Although water in the right engine's fuel tank could have resulted in power loss and the subsequent drift to the right, examination of the airplane did not find any water in the fuel nor any abnormalities that would have prevented the engines from producing power. A reason for the pilot's loss of directional control could not be determined.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff after sluggish departure roll.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

Related mishaps