ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 188571
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| Date: | Friday 8 July 2016 |
| Time: | 16:17 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N32KK |
| MSN: | 32R-7680117 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1976 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4509 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-K1A5D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | East of West Houston Airport (KIWS), Houston, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Houston, TX (IWS) |
| Fredericksburg, TX (T82) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The private pilot was departing on a cross-country flight in the airplane when the forward baggage compartment door opened shortly before the airplane rotated for liftoff near midfield. The pilot continued the takeoff on runway heading to about 100 ft above ground level before entering a left turn. The airplane continued to turn left until it was on a downwind heading, and then it entered an aerodynamic stall/spin and descended nose-down into terrain. Flight track data revealed that the airplane's ground speed decreased from 84 knots to 1 knot during the final 4 seconds of the flight, consistent with the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall/spin. None of the witnesses reported hearing any engine anomalies during the accident flight.
The postaccident investigation determined that the forward baggage compartment door separated during the airplane's impact with terrain. The door latch mechanism was found unlatched, and its corresponding key-lock assembly was unlocked. No anomalies were found with the forward baggage door latch mechanism, key-lock, or door frame latch catch/receptacle that would have precluded the door from being properly secured before the flight. Based on the witness descriptions and the physical evidence, it is likely that the pilot failed to ensure that the forward baggage compartment door was closed, latched, and properly secured during his preflight inspection. The pilot likely became distracted by the open baggage door and, as a result, did not maintain adequate airspeed while on the downwind leg, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after becoming distracted by the open baggage door while operating in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to ensure that the forward baggage compartment door was closed, latched, and properly secured during his preflight inspection.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=32KK
https://flightaware.com/photos/view/4233672-8008775e4c1d927eabf87010cc50d44c77613648/aircrafttype/P32R
https://flightaware.com/photos/aircraft/N32KK
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Jul-2016 23:04 | Geno | Added |
| 08-Jul-2016 23:34 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source] |
| 11-Jul-2016 18:50 | Anon. | Updated [Registration, Source] |
| 11-Jul-2016 18:52 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Source] |
| 11-Jul-2016 21:32 | Geno | Updated [Source] |
| 12-Jul-2016 07:10 | bovine | Updated [Source] |
| 30-Jul-2016 19:56 | Geno | Updated [Nature, Destination airport, Source] |
| 16-Apr-2018 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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