http://registry.faa.gov/N71DH
NTSB Identification: CEN13LA198
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, March 10, 2013 in Rogers, AR
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/24/2013
Aircraft: PIPER PA 46-350P, registration: N71DH
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.
While on approach, ice accumulated on the wings’ leading edges. The pilot stated that the airplane was flying and handling well but that the air was turbulent during the descent. According to the pilot, when the airplane was about 75 to 100 feet above ground level, he encountered “severe turbulence” and a “downdraft,” which resulted in his inability to control the airplane's descent. Subsequently, the airplane landed hard on the runway. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The sudden loss of control was consistent with inadequate airspeed for the weather conditions and leading edge ice buildup on the wings, which led to an aerodynamic stall.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain control due to a sudden turbulence encounter while on final approach. Contributing to the accident was ice buildup on the wings’ leading edges.
On March 10, 2013, about 1955 central daylight time, a Piper PA-46-350P airplane, N71DH, made a hard landing at the Rogers Municipal Airport (KROG), Rogers, Arkansas. The airline transport pilot and 3 passengers were not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from Chattanooga, Tennessee at 1800 eastern daylight time and was destined for KROG.
In a statement provided by the pilot, he reported about one quarter inch of ice buildup on the wings during the approach. He recalls that the automated weather report at KROG reported the wind from 280 at 12 knots and gusting 22 to 30 knots. He stated that the airplane was flying and handling well, but the air was turbulent during the descent. He broke out of the clouds about 800 feet above the ground and was using the rudder to point the nose of the airplane 20-30 degrees right of the runway heading. He then encountered severe turbulence and a downdraft about 75 to 100 feet above ground level (AGL) so he applied full power to stop the decent. When he realized the decent wasn’t going to stop, he tried to flare the airplane. The airplane landed hard on the runway and sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
At 1957, the aviation routine weather report for KROG reported wind from 290 degrees at 13 knots, gusting at 21 knots, 7 miles visibility, clouds overcast at 600 feet above ground level (AGL), temperature 0 degrees Celsius (C), dew point negative 1 degree C, and a barometric pressure of 29.89 inches of mercury.
Pictures of the airplane following the accident revealed ice on the wings and leading edges.
ROGERS — An investigator from the Federal Aviation Administration was in Rogers on Monday to determine what caused a Sunday night single-engine airplane to crash, according to airport officials.
None of the four people aboard were injured, authorities said.
Police and firefighters were called to the Rogers Municipal Airport-Carter Field at 7:54 p.m.
Pilot Rodney Graham, 53, of Fyffe, Ala., told police at approximately 2,800 feet, he felt a lift under the plane, then felt the plane sink back down.
As he was preparing to land, he was trying to hold the plane steady at 500 feet facing south, according to a police report. Graham reported at approximately 100 feet above the ground, the nose was up and the landing gear down. He said he felt an “external atmospheric force” that pushed the plane straight down to the ground. Graham said he believed he hit a micro-burst, according to the report.
Atmospheric conditions at the time were 32 degrees, rainy and 15 mph wind from the west, according to the police report.
A microburst is a downdraft (sinking air) in a thunderstorm that is less than 2.5 miles in scale, according to the National Weather Service website. Some microbursts can pose a threat to life and property, but all microbursts pose a significant threat to aviation. Although microbursts are not as widely recognized as tornadoes, they can cause comparable, and in some cases, worse damage than some tornadoes produce. Wind speeds as high as 150 mph are possible in extreme microburst cases.
Police identifited the other occupants as Michael Tripp, 51, of Pisgah, Ala., Robert Yoe, 62, of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Heather Lingerfelt, 38, of Athens, Tenn.
The FAA website identified the airplane as a Piper PA24 with the tale number N71DH. Flightware.com shows that plane to be owned by Robert H. Yoe of Chattanooga. The single-engine craft could seat six.
The police report said the craft sustained heavy damage to both wings and the landing gear.
Airport Manager David Krutsch said Monday the airport’s runway was closed from 8 p.m. Sunday until 2:30 a.m. Monday while debris was removed.
Fire Chief Tom Jenkins said firefighters used foam to contain an unknown amount of fuel that leaked from the plane. About 40 gallons were in the fuel tank, he said.
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