Piper PA46-500TP, Croft Aviation LLC , N32CA: Accident occurred February 13, 2013 in Grand Island, Nebraska

NTSB Identification: CEN13LA171
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, February 13, 2013 in Grand Island, NE
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/24/2014
Aircraft: PIPER PA46, registration: N32CA
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot reported that the airplane began to roll forward about 1 minute after engine start and impacted a building. The pilot stated that, though the airplane slowed when he pumped the brakes several times, he could not stop it using both toe brakes. An employee of the fixed based operator who witnessed the accident stated that the airplane’s propeller was operating “at high speed” as it moved forward into a grass area before impacting the building. The pilot reported that the engine was stopped before impact. Postaccident examination of the airplane braking system revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Available evidence suggests that the pilot did not reduce engine power and effectively apply the brakes in sufficient time to stop the airplane.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control after engine start.

On February 13, 2013, about 1430 central standard time, a Piper PA46-500TP, N32CA, rolled forward and struck a building after the engine was started. The airplane sustained substantial damage to a wing. The pilot was uninjured. The airplane was registered to Croft Aviation LLC and was operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that was destined to Centennial Airport, Denver, Colorado. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

A fixed base operator (FBO) employee stated that he was standing in front of the airplane waiting for it to start. The airplane started and about a minute later, it began to move forward. As the airplane was moving forward, the employee signaled the pilot to move straight ahead. After the airplane moved about 13 feet, the employee signaled the pilot to turn right. To the employee's "shock," the airplane continued forward and into a grass area with the propeller at "high speed." The employee ran and turned around to see the airplane impact a rock pier at a building. The propeller flung pieces of stone. The left wing was "pouring" out fuel.

The pilot stated that the airplane was on the ramp facing a building. Upon engine start, the airplane moved forward with pressure on both toe brakes. The brakes were pumped several times before they began to slow the airplane but did not stop the airplane before it impacted building.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector stated that he was able to stop the airplane and a tow vehicle while the airplane was being towed. Examination of the brake system revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

http://registry.faa.gov/N32CA

  
NTSB Identification: CEN13LA171 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, February 13, 2013 in Grand Island, NE
Aircraft: PIPER PA46, registration: N32CA
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On February 13, 2013, a Piper PA46-500TP, N32CA, rolled forward and struck a building after the engine was started. The airplane sustained substantial damage to a wing. The pilot was uninjured. The airplane was registered to Croft Aviation LLC and was operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that was destined to Centennial Airport, Denver, Colorado. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
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 No one was injured when a small plane hit the Trego Dugan terminal at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport Wednesday afternoon.

Just before 3 p.m. the Grand Island Fire Department and the airport's fire personnel were called to the scene because fuel was leaking from the plane.

Airport Executive Director Mike Olson said the Piper Meridian had been parked near the building and the pilot was preparing to taxi onto a runway. After he started the engine, he lost power to the brakes and the nose wheel so he couldn't stop the plane. The single-engine plane struck the front of the Trego Dugan terminal, breaking a window on the building, Olson said.

The plane's nose was dented. Olson said the plane is likely totaled because the turbo prop would have come to an abrupt stop when the plane hit the building and that would have damaged the engine.

The plane leaked fuel and a hazardous material team was on scene to assist with cleanup. Power was cut to the terminal and the building was temporarily closed to the public, he said.

"We're being cautious," Olson said.

The plane is owned by Croft Aviation LLC in Westminster, Colo. The fixed-wing, single-engine turbo-prop plane was manufactured in 2005 and has been owned by Croft Aviation since May 2012, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

According to FlightAware's online activity log, the plane left Sturgis, Minn., Tuesday and flew to Chicago. It left Chicago Wednesday en route to the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan airport. The pilot, whose name wasn't listed on the activity log, made a stop in Grand Island on the way to Colorado.

Story:   http://www.starherald.com