ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 121689
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| Date: | Monday 11 April 2011 |
| Time: | 21:27 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain |
| Owner/operator: | Airnet Systems Inc |
| Registration: | N3547C |
| MSN: | 31-8052018 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 17265 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Richmond International Airport, Richmond, Virginia -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Richmond, VA (RIC) |
| Charlotte, NC (CLT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The twin-engine airplane was scheduled for a routine night cargo flight. Witnesses and radar data described the airplane accelerating down the runway to a maximum ground speed of 97 knots, then entering an aggressive climb before leveling and pitching down. The airplane subsequently impacted a parallel taxiway with its landing gear retracted. Slash marks observed on the taxiway pavement, as well as rotation signatures observed on the remaining propeller blades, indicated that both engines were operating at impact. Additionally, postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airframe or either engine. The as-found position of the cargo placed the airplane within the normal weight and balance envelope, with no evidence of a cargo-shift having occurred, and the as-found position of the elevator trim jackscrew was consistent with a neutral pitch trim setting. According to the airframe manufacturer's prescribed takeoff procedure, the pilot was to accelerate the airplane to an airspeed of 85 knots, increase the pitch to a climb angle that would allow the airplane to accelerate past 96 knots, and retract the landing gear before accelerating past 128 knots. Given the loading and environmental conditions that existed on the night of the accident, the airplane's calculated climb performance should have been 1,800 feet per minute. Applying the prevailing wind conditions about time of the accident to the airplane's radar-observed ground speed during the takeoff revealed a maximum estimated airspeed of 111 knots, and the airplane's maximum calculated climb rate briefly exceeded 3,000 feet per minute. The airplane then leveled for a brief time, decelerated, and began descending, a profile that suggested that the airplane likely entered an aerodynamic stall during the initial climb.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with the ground.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: 2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=3547C
3. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/SKQ601
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Apr-2011 07:28 | bizjets101 | Added |
| 12-Apr-2011 08:04 | RobertMB | Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Apr-2011 09:44 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Apr-2011 07:05 | bizjets101 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 20-Oct-2017 20:07 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Oct-2017 20:10 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Source] |
| 20-Oct-2017 20:11 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 27-Nov-2017 16:51 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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