14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 26, 2014 in Valley Point, WV
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/19/2015
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-140, registration: N5601U
Injuries: 2 Serious.
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 purchased the airplane about 2 months before the accident, and the accident flight was his first flight in the airplane. The airplane impacted terrain shortly after takeoff. Neither the pilot nor passenger could recall the sequence of events leading to the accident. The sole witness to the accident did not see the airplane and only heard its engine “rev up” immediately before ground impact. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
Undetermined based on a lack of available information.
On October 26, 2014, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N5601U, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Valley Point Airport (WV29), Valley Point, West Virginia. Both the commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which was departing at the time of the accident. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
A witness reported that he heard the airplane's engine "rev up," and subsequently heard the sound of impact. The witness responded to the accident site to render assistance, and stated that there was an odor of fuel at the site.
Both occupants were hospitalized for several weeks and could not be interviewed until about 90 days after the accident. During a telephone conversation, the pilot stated that he could not recall any details about the flight, but did state that the accident flight was his first flight in the accident airplane.
Future attempts to contact the pilot after the accident were unsuccessful, and the pilot did not provide a completed NTSB 6120.1, Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, as requested.
The passenger stated that he had previously seen the pilot at the airport, but had not flown with him prior to the accident flight. He arrived at the airport on the day of the accident with the intent of working in his hangar, but changed his mind when the pilot invited him to fly. The passenger also remembered very little about the accident flight, but recalled that he was in the right seat when they departed, and that the last thing he remembered was pulling back on the yoke during departure.
The pilot, age 54, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land and instrument airplane. The pilot reported 2,000 total hours of flight experience, 100 hours of which were in the accident airplane make and model. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on June 25, 2013. The pilot stated that prior to the accident, he had not flown in several months.
The airplane was manufactured in 1969 and was equipped with a Lycoming O-320-E2A 150 horsepower reciprocating engine. According to the pilot, he purchased the airplane about two months prior to the accident, but never registered it in his name. The pilot was not familiar with the airplane's maintenance history and could not provide either airframe or engine maintenance logbooks. The engine oil filter installed on the engine indicated that had been installed in March 2012.
Initial examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the airplane came to rest in a grass area about 700 feet from the approach end of runway 08. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. Control continuity was traced from the cockpit to each of the respective control surfaces. The left wing fuel tank was found ¾ full, and the right wing fuel tank was breached and void of fuel. The fuel tank selector was found in the left tank position. The fuel found in the left tank was consistent in color and odor with automotive fuel. The carburetor was removed from the engine: the accelerator pump functioned normally, the carburetor inlet screen was free of debris, and the float bowl contained fuel. The throttle and mixture control arms were free to rotate through their complete range of travel.
The engine's spark plugs were removed and examined; all exhibited carbon fouling. The crankshaft was rotated at the propeller flange, and thumb compression was confirmed on each of the four cylinders. Borescope inspection of the cylinders further revealed no anomalies. Both left and right magnetos were rotated by hand; the right magneto exhibited spark on all towers and the left magneto produced no spark with the primary lead separated. When the lead was reattached, the left magneto produced spark on three of its four towers.
The left magneto and its primary lead were recovered and sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory. Examination revealed no evidence of long term wear to suggest that the connector had worked its way out in service, and signatures consistent with the lead having been secure in its housing at the time of impact.
WILLIAM D. YOUNG: http://registry.faa.gov/N5601U
NTSB Identification: ERA15LA028
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 26, 2014 in Valley Point, WV
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-140, registration: N5601U
Injuries: 2 Serious.
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 October 26, 2014, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140 airplane, N5601U, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Valley Point Airport (WV29), Valley Point, West Virginia. Both the commercial pilot and private pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed from WV29 about 1330. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
A witness reported that he heard the airplane engine "rev up", which was immediately followed by the impact. In addition the witness stated that he could smell fuel prior to his arrival at the accident site.
Initial examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the airplane came to rest in a grass area about 700 feet from the approach end of runway 08. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. Both propeller blades remained attached to the propeller hub and exhibited no damage. Examination of the engine revealed that the left magneto primary lead had separated from its respective magneto case. The ignition key was also found in the left magneto position.
Postaccident examination of the engine was conducted on-scene by a representative of the engine manufacturer and supervised by the FAA. The spark plugs were removed and examined; all exhibited "normal" wear signatures. The crankshaft was rotated at the propeller flange, and thumb compression was confirmed on each of the four cylinders. Both magnetos were rotated by hand; the right magneto exhibited spark on all towers and the left magneto produced no spark with the primary lead separated. When the lead was reattached the left magneto produced spark on three of its four towers.
The left magneto and its primary lead were recovered from the engine and sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, DC, for further examination.
Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards District Office: FAA Charleston FSDO-09
Around 1:20 PM Sunday, a small aircraft carrying two passengers lost control and crashed in the Valley Point area of Bruceton Mills.
Both passengers survived the crash and were transported by HealthNet to Ruby Memorial Hospital. The extent of their injuries or current condition is still unknown at this time.
While the cause of the accident is still undetermined, officials think that the pilot of the aircraft lost control while taking off due to strong wind gusts, and crashed in a field no more than a mile or two away from the airport. That's where a neighbor heard the accident and immediately called 911.
"There were two people trapped inside, and we immediately called 911 and just talked to them while they were trapped in there," said witness Homer Adams.
While the names of the two people involved in the crash are still unknown, officials say they are both West Virginia residents, and that the quick action of the first responders helped save their lives.
"We had two confirmed trapped in there, and that they were heavily trapped. (First responders) were starting the life saving measures that were necessary immediately. Enough can't be said about their quick response and the actions they took," said Bruceton-Brandonville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Randy Spiker.
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to conduct a formal investigation into the accident in the coming days.
- Source: http://www.wdtv.com
A small plane made a forced landing just west of the Valley Point Airport in Preston County Sunday afternoon.
Two medical helicopters have been requested, according to a statement from the county’s Office of Emergency Management.
The incident happened around 1 p.m.
A spokeswoman from the Federal Aviation Administration said four people were reported to be on board the Piper PA-28 when it landed on a farm near Valley Point, an unincorporated community about 25 miles east of Morgantown.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the local sheriff’s department are investigating, and local authorities will release the occupants’ names and conditions.
Local fire departments as well as sheriff’s deputies and state police have been dispatched to the scene off of Ringer Road.
The plane that crashed in Kanawha County in April, killing a couple, was a Piper PA-32.
- Source: http://www.wvgazette.com
Authorities were called to the scene of a plane crash in Preston County Sunday afternoon.
An aircraft went down just after 1 p.m. off of Ringer Road, just west of the Valley Point Airport, said Preston County 911 Dispatchers.
Two medical helicopters were requested for patients at the scene.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified, said 911 dispatchers.
Bruceton-Brandonville Vol. Fire Dept, Albright Vol. Fire Dept., Bruceton Ambulance, KAMP Ambulance, West Virginia State Police and the Preston County Sheriff's Dept. were all dispatched.
Media isn't permitted near the actual crash site at this time.
Stay with 12 News as this story develops.
UPDATE (10/26/14 @ 3:10 pm):
According to a reporter on scene, two HealthNet choppers just took off from the scene with a patient in each.
5 News is still working to get information on how exactly this incident happened and if any other people were involved.
The Preston County Sheriff's Department is handling the investigation.
UPDATE (10/26/14 @ 2:45 PM):
According to a reporter on scene, emergency crews are surrounding the cockpit area of the plane in a rescue effort.
Multiple crews are on scene as well as two helicopters. There's no word on how many people are involved in the crash or how it happened. However, according to a reporter on scene, the plane appears to only be able to hold one to four people.
The crash happened off of Ringer Road in a field surrounded by woods.
Stay with 5 News for the latest.
ORIGINAL (10/26/14 @ 1:45 PM):
According to Preston County 911 officials, there has been a plane crash in Bruceton Mills. It happened just before 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
No other information has been released at this time, but a reporter is heading to the scene.
Stay with 5 News for updates.
.PNG)
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