14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, August 03, 2012 in White City, OR
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/26/2012
Aircraft: PIPER PA-22-160, registration: N9626D
Injuries: 1 Minor.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The owner/student pilot flew from her home airport to an airstrip she had been to previously. The departure, flight, and landing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane were uneventful. After shutdown at the destination airport, the pilot refueled by topping off both 18-gallon wing tanks. After that, she initiated her departure from the 3,000-foot dirt/turf runway. According to the pilot, the airplane's main landing gear bungee cords had recently been replaced and were significantly stiffer than the old ones, which caused the airplane to bounce more than she was used to on the dirt strip. At some point, the airplane bounced up off the runway, and the pilot pulled the control stick aft in order to remain airborne. The airplane began to veer to the left, and the pilot was unable to control or correct that turn. She applied more back pressure to climb over the hangar in her path and attempted to climb over the trees beyond the hangar. However, the airplane struck the trees and descended rapidly into a small clearing about 1,300 feet down the runway and about 400 feet from the runway centerline, where it stopped. Fire erupted almost immediately, but the pilot was able to exit through a cabin door. Much of the fabric-covered airplane and its contents were consumed by the fire. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane and that the wind was light and variable at the time. She also stated that the airplane became airborne prematurely due to the bounce and that she should have forced the airplane back onto the ground until it obtained sufficient speed for flight.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The student pilot's attempt to keep the airplane airborne and continue the takeoff after the airplane bounced off the turf runway prematurely during the takeoff roll.
The owner/student pilot flew from her home airport to an airstrip she had been to previously. The departure, flight, and landing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane were uneventful. After shutdown at the destination airport, the pilot refueled by topping off both 18-gallon wing tanks. After that, she initiated her departure from the dirt/turf runway, which measured 3,000 feet by 130 feet. According to the pilot, the airplane's main landing gear bungee cords had recently been replaced, and were significantly stiffer than the old ones, which caused the airplane to bounce more than she was used to on the dirt strip. At some point the airplane bounced up off the runway, and the pilot pulled the control stick aft in order to remain airborne, and to fly away. The airplane began to veer to the left, and the pilot was unable to control or correct that turn. She applied more back pressure to climb over the hangar in her path, and attempted to climb over the trees beyond the hangar. However, the airplane struck the trees, and descended rapidly into a small clearing about 1,300 feet down the runway and about 400 from the runway centerline, where it stopped. Fire broke out almost immediately, but the pilot was able to exit though a cabin door. Much of the fabric-covered airplane and its contents were consumed by the fire. In her accident form provided to the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane. She reported that winds were light and variable at the time. She also concluded that the airplane became airborne prematurely due to the bounce, and that she should have forced the airplane back onto the ground until it obtained sufficient speed for flight.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 9626D Make/Model: PA22 Description: PA-22 Tri-Pacer, Caribbean, Colt
Date: 08/03/2012 Time: 1830
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: WHITE CITY State: OR Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT ON TAKEOFF, CLIPPED TREES AND CRASHED AND BURNED AT BEAGLE SKY
RANCH NEAR WHITE CITY, OR
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Training Phase: Take-off Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: PORTLAND, OR (NM09) Entry date: 08/06/2012
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=9626
A grass fire burned three acres at a private airport at Beagle Sky Ranch after a plane crashed soon after taking off Friday at 15373 Jones Road in Sams Valley.
Julia Moore
A26-year-old Oregon pilot walked away uninjured after her Piper Pacer plane crashed soon after taking off Friday morning at a private airport at Beagle Sky Ranch, causing a 3-acre grass fire.
Don Hickman, spokesman for Jackson County Fire District No. 3, said the pilot had just taken off when the single-engine plane began to lose altitude and veer to the left from about 30 feet in the air and crashed, landing on its belly, Hickman said.
He said the pilot was on her way home to Lakeview.
“She’s fortunate she’s OK,” he said.
The crash and fire were reported around 11:30 a.m. at 15373 Jones Road in Sams Valley. The pilot, whose name was not released, escaped from the back door of the plane without injuries, according to Hickman.
Soon after the pilot escaped from the plane, a fire started on the right side of the plane, spreading to the surrounding grassy area. The plane was destroyed except for its front end and a wing that was caught in a tree.
Hickman said the crash was not the result of engine failure, but fire crews were unsure of the cause. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will continue the investigation.
Three engines from Jackson County Fire District No. 3, two wildland engines and one water tender responded to the call. Five engines from the Oregon Department of Forestry also were on scene. Hickman said ODF crews will continue to monitor the fire area for any hot spots.
http://www.mailtribune.com
The crash and fire were reported around 11:30 a.m. at 15373 Jones Road in Sams Valley. The 26-year-old pilot escaped from the back door of the plane without injuries, according to Don Hickman, spokesman for Jackson County Fire District No. 3.
Hickman said the pilot was on her way home to Lakeview in Lake County, Ore. The single-engine Piper Pacer plane drifted to the ground from about 30 feet in the air, landing on its belly, Hickman said.
“She’s fortunate she’s OK,” he said.
Soon after the pilot escaped from the back of the plane, a fire started on the right side of the plane, spreading to the surrounding grassy area. The plane was destroyed except for its front end and a wing that was caught in a tree.
Hickman said the crash was not a result of engine failure, but fire crews are unsure of the cause. The Federal Aviation Administration will continue the investigation.
Three engines from Jackson County Fire District No. 3, two wildland engines and one water tender responded to the call. Five engines from the Oregon Department of Forestry also were on scene. Hickman said ODF crews will continue to monitor the fire for any hot spots.
11:55 a.m. A small plane has crashed at a private airport at Beagle Sky Ranch and started a grass fire, Jackson County Fire District No. 3 officials confirmed.
The crash and fire were reported shortly after 11:30 a.m. at 15373 Jones Road, in Sams Valley.
Fire crews are responding to the location. In addition to District 3 crews, Oregon Department of Forestry is sending engines and a helicopter.
http://www.mailtribune.com
