WICHITA FALLS, TX, USA
N9296K
PIPER PA-32R-300
Shortly after liftoff, the airplane's forward baggage door came open and '...stood straight up and vibrated vigorously.' The pilot elected to continue the takeoff. Witnesses observed the airplane in a steep climb attitude, with the wings 'dipping' from side to side, in a shallow left turn, at an altitude of approximately 50 feet. Approximately 1 mile south of the airport, the airplane collided with a light pole, impacted the ground in a vertical attitude and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported that during the preflight he had taken a quart of oil from the forward baggage compartment to replenish the engine oil. During an interview, the pilot stated that he placed the empty oil container in the baggage compartment, shut the door, but did not lock it. In his written statement, the pilot reported that he locked the door. A postcrash fire consumed the fuselage and precluded examination of the baggage compartment and door.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 26, 1995, at 1425 central daylight time, a Piper PA- 32R-300, N9296K, collided with a light pole during takeoff from Kickapoo Downtown Airpark near Wichita Falls, Texas. The private pilot and two passengers sustained serious injuries and the aircraft was destroyed. The aircraft was owned and operated by Eagle Has Landed, Inc., of Lincoln, Nebraska. The Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was originating at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The pilot reported that he departed on runway 17 and was at an altitude of "approximately 100 feet" when "the front luggage door flew open, stood straight up and vibrated vigorously." The pilot elected to continue the takeoff with the intention of returning to land. He reported that he "could gain a little altitude when straight and level, but upon banking to left I would lose altitude." According to witnesses at the airport, the airplane was "approximately half-way down the runway," at an altitude of "no more than 10 feet," when they observed that the forward baggage compartment door was open. One witness reported the pilot "throttled back," then applied power, then "throttled back again." Another witness stated that the pilot "added and reduced power several times until he was too far down the runway to abort the takeoff." The witness further stated that the airplane "slowed to a point where the angle of attack was excessive." As the airplane reached the departure end of the runway, it began "a very shallow left turn" and was observed to be "mushing from side to side" at an altitude of "no more than 50 feet." As the airplane approached Southwest Parkway, a divided highway running east/west approximately 1 mile south of the airport, witnesses in vehicles observed that "the nose was pointed up too high" and the "wings were dipping from side to side." Subsequently, they observed the airplane strike a light pole with its right wing, impact the ground "nose first," and "burst into a ball of flames." During a personal interview, conducted by the investigator-in- charge, the pilot stated that, during the preflight, he had taken a quart of oil from the forward baggage compartment to replenish the engine oil. He further stated that he placed the empty oil container in the luggage compartment, shut the door, but did not lock it. In the enclosed Pilot/Operator Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), the pilot reported that, during his preflight, he "added 1 qt. of oil and locked the front luggage door after replacing empty oil container." AIRCRAFT INFORMATION According to the owner, the airframe and engine logbooks were in the airplane at the time of the accident. The logbooks were not recovered during the on scene examination of the airplane, and it is presumed they were destroyed in the post-crash fire. Records (copy attached) obtained from the fixed base operation where the airplane was maintained indicate the last annual inspection was completed January 18, 1995, at an airframe total time of 2,351 hours. The aircraft manufacturer's preflight checklist (copy attached) calls for the pilot to check that the baggage door is "closed and secure." WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The accident site was located approximately 1 statue mile south of the airport in the southwest corner of the intersection between Southwest Parkway and US 281. A 43 foot tall light pole was lying on the ground 30 feet from the airplane. The pole was bent at an angle of approximately 30 degrees 39 feet above its base. White paint smears were present within the bend on the pole. The pole's concrete mounting foundation, surrounded by a ring of burned grass, was located 95 feet from the airplane. The measured magnetic heading from the pole's foundation to the airplane was 150 degrees. A ground scar 3 feet long and 6 inches deep was located between the pole's foundation and the airplane. The airplane came to rest inverted on a measured magnetic heading of 060 degrees. The right wing was severed outboard of the right main landing gear with the severed wing section found lying parallel to and partially beneath the forward fuselage. Fire consumed the severed right wing section and the fuselage of the airplane from the firewall to the tail cone. Examination of the forward baggage compartment and baggage door was precluded due to their destruction by the fire. Control continuity was established from the control surfaces to the cockpit for the stabilator, rudder, and left aileron. Control continuity for the right aileron could not be established due to fire and impact damage. The right main landing gear was extended and the left main landing gear was retracted. The position of the nose landing gear could not be determined due to impact damage. The engine came to rest upright, facing toward the tail of the airplane, and remained attached to the fuselage by control cables. Continuity was confirmed to all of the cylinders and to the accessory section. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft and both blades remained attached to the hub. One blade was bent aft, evidenced torsional twisting, and had approximately 6 inches of its tip burned away in the post-crash fire. The other blade was bent forward at the midpoint and displayed a blade angle of approximately 90 degrees. ADDITIONAL DATA The wreckage was released to an officer of the Wichita Falls Police Department at the completion of the on scene investigation.
the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while diverting attention to an open cargo door. A factor was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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