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Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Portland, Maine
Lycoming Engines; Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Location: Hampton, NH
Accident Number: ERA15LA237Date & Time: 06/14/2015, 0930 EDT
Registration: N43078
Aircraft: PIPER PA28
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Aerodynamic stall/spin
Injuries: 2 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On June 14, 2015, about 0930 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N43078, impacted trees and terrain shortly after takeoff from Hampton Airfield (7B3), Hampton, New Hampshire. The private pilot and one passenger received serious injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces and a postcrash fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the planned flight to Biddeford Airport (B19), Biddeford, Maine. The airplane was owned and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
According to the pilot, on the morning of the accident he had fueled the airplane at B19, and performed a "full run-up and normal takeoff" for the flight to 7B3. The takeoff, all systems, and flight characteristics appeared normal. After landing at 7B3, he taxied to the ramp and shut the airplane down. He did not refuel at 7B3, and a short time later he and his passenger embarked and taxied to runway 02, where he performed another engine run-up, with no anomalies noted. He indicated that the takeoff, and all systems including the airspeed, appeared normal. He said that the airplane lifted off at 65 knots, but it would not climb. He asked the passenger to read the emergency checklist, and verified that the mixture was rich, the throttle was full, the fuel selector was on the fullest tank, the fuel pump was on, and the carburetor heat was off. He attempted to keep the airplane level; however, he raised the nose at the last minute as they approached a tree line. The airplane cleared the initial tree line; however, subsequently descended into the wooded area.
According to a witness, as the airplane lifted off from the runway, it appeared to have a "high angle of attack," and it looked as though it was "mushing through the air" after takeoff. During the initial climb the pitch attitude decreased briefly, and then increased before the airplane reached a tree line. After clearing the trees, the nose lowered and the airplane disappeared out of sight. The witness further stated that he did not hear a loss of engine power at any time. Another witness stated that when the airplane lifted off the ground, its "nose was too vertical." The witness thought the airplane would not climb above the trees in the nose-up position; however, it cleared the tree tops and was "nearly vertical" when it began to lose altitude.
Review of airport surveillance video also revealed that the airplane lifted off and remained in a nose-up attitude.
Examination of the wreckage, at the scene, by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the airplane impacted a wooded area about 2,000 feet from the departure end of the runway and slightly right of the extended runway centerline. The fuselage came to rest upright in a nose down attitude with the engine and nose section embedded in soil. Both wings were separated from the fuselage.
A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine was conducted by an FAA inspector and representative from the engine manufacturer. One propeller blade exhibited chordwise scratching and leading-edge gouging. When the engine crankshaft was rotated by hand, continuity was confirmed on all cylinders, valves, and accessory gears. Thumb compression and suction was verified on each cylinder. The spark plugs were removed and examined; each displayed little or no wear and were light gray/black/oily in color. The carburetor bowl was removed and was found to be free of debris.
Control cable continuity was established from each aileron though fractures, consistent with tensile overload, to the cockpit area. The stabilator and rudder were removed during salvage recovery efforts, and the flight control cables were cut by recovery personnel. However, cable continuity was confirmed from the cockpit area to the rudder and stabilator.
Examination of the stabilator trim indicator in the cockpit revealed that the trim was in the full nose up position. Examination of the stabilator trim jackscrew revealed 16 exposed threads, which equated to a full nose-up position. Review of a takeoff checklist from a make and model pilot operating manual revealed "Trim tab – set."
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 56, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 05/03/2013
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 05/24/2014
Flight Time: 182 hours (Total, all aircraft), 182 hours (Total, this make and model), 129 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 3 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 2 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 1 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: PIPER
Registration: N43078
Model/Series: PA28 140
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1974
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 28-7425332
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 04/01/2015, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2150 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 2 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 4520 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: C91A installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O-320-D3G
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 160 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KPSM, 100 ft msl
Observation Time: 0958 EDT
Distance from Accident Site: 7 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 4°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 14000 ft agl
Temperature/Dew Point: 23°C / 9°C
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 25000 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 8 knots, 60°
Visibility (RVR):
Altimeter Setting: 30.06 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Hampton, NH (7B3)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Biddeford, ME (B19)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 0930 EDT
Type of Airspace:
Airport Information
Airport: HAMPTON AIRFIELD (7B3)
Runway Surface Type: Grass/turf
Airport Elevation: 93 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 02
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 2100 ft / 170 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: None
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 2 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 42.968333, -70.828333 (est)
Ronald Gagnon was at the controls of a Piper Cherokee at 9:19 a.m. Sunday when the small plane crashed about 2,000 feet from where it took off from Hampton Airfield in North Hampton, New Hampshire, after touching down briefly.
Both Gagnon and his passenger, whom police have not identified, were able to get out of the plane’s cockpit. The passenger suffered burns over 10 percent of his upper body, according to fire officials, and after being taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, he was flown by medical helicopter to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The passenger’s condition isn’t known.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash to determine whether it was the result of a mechanical malfunction or human error. However, the agency did not send an investigator to the scene and is relying on the Federal Aviation Administration to gather information about the crash, said NTSB spokesman Terry Williams.
Gagnon and his wife, Doris Gagnon, who is listed as a co-owner of the plane, declined interviews Monday, according to Portsmouth Regional Hospital spokeswoman Nancy Notis, but the couple thanked well-wishers for their support.
According to his Facebook page, Gagnon is director of supply chain purchasing and material planning at High Liner Foods Inc. in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He flies out of the Biddeford Municipal Airport and is a member of Friends of Biddeford Airport, according to members of the organization.
The plane crashed about 150 yards from a house in the woods off Cedar Road. It took the first fire crews about six minutes to get there after the initial report came in.
“I was anticipating both would be trapped,” North Hampton Fire Department Lt. Jason Lajoie said during a news conference Sunday. “I was very surprised they were able to exit the aircraft on their own, and that saved on the number of injuries they had.”
Lajoie added that although the plane crashed, it appears the trees slowed its descent, softening its impact on the ground. One of the plane’s wings was still suspended in the trees Sunday afternoon, he said.
The cockpit remained largely intact with the only damage being to its nose, he said. The plane was on fire when firefighters arrived, but Lajoie described it as a small fire that crews were able to put out quickly.
Gagnon and his passenger were about 30 feet away from the wreckage when firefighters arrived, Lajoie said. Gagnon was able to walk away but his passenger had to be carried to a waiting ambulance.
The plane had arrived at the airfield from elsewhere, touched down at the airfield and taxied, but did not stop, and quickly took off again, officials said. The plane crashed shortly thereafter, about 2,000 feet from the end of the runway.
Source: http://www.pressherald.com
NORTH HAMPTON, N.H. — Two people were seriously injured when their small plane – which is registered to a man from Biddeford, Maine – crashed Sunday morning in North Hampton, New Hampshire, after taking off from Hampton Airfield, authorities said.
The Piper Cherokee crashed in a wooded area around 9:19 a.m. on private property off Cedar Road, said a news release issued by the North Hampton police and fire department chiefs. The plane came to rest in a wetlands area.
Both occupants, who have not been identified, suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries, according to the news release. One wing was ripped off, but police and fire officials said the plane was otherwise intact.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane is registered to Ronald Gagnon of Biddeford, Maine. The agency has not said whether Gagnon was one of the people on board.
Police Chief Michael E. Maddocks and Fire Chief Michael J. Tully said first responders had to walk down a long driveway and 150 yards through a wooded area to reach the plane. Rescue personnel found both occupants, who were outside the wreckage, waiting for help to arrive. The crash started several small fires on the land that were quickly extinguished.
The pilot was able to walk out of the crash site with emergency personnel while the passenger – identified only as a male – suffered burns and had to be carried out.
Both were taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The passenger was later transferred to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston by helicopter.
Maddocks and Tully said the Piper Cherokee was not based out of the Hampton Airfield. They said the plane landed at the airfield and taxied before taking off. The crash happened shortly after takeoff. They said trees may have lessened the plane’s impact upon hitting the ground.
Authorities said the Piper PA-28 plane crashed about 2,000 feet from the end of the runway and approximately 150 yards from a home.
The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of light aircraft designed for flight training, air taxi and personal use. The single-engine planes are built to hold two or four passengers.
The FAA is investigating the cause of the crash.
North Hampton Police Chief Michael Maddocks speaks to reporters about Sunday's plane crash off Cedar Road.
NORTH HAMPTON - A pilot and his passenger were injured Sunday morning when the small plane they were flying crashed into trees and caught fire behind homes on Cedar Road.
Police Chief Michael Maddocks said the crash was reported at about 9:19 a.m. and involved a Piper Cherokee that had just taken off from the Hampton Airfield.
The pilot and passenger, both men whose names were not immediately released, were outside the plane when firefighters arrived and found them in the woods about 150 yards in the area of a home at 27 Cedar Road.
The pilot was able to climb out on his own while the passenger needed help, Maddocks said.
Both were transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, but the passenger was later flown to a Boston hospital because he was more seriously injured, according to officials.
Shortly before the crash, Maddocks said the plane landed at the Hampton Airfield, taxied around, and then took off again. He said the plane didn't spend any time at the airfield. He said the plane isn't based at the airfield.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Police secured the scene while awaiting the arrival of investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and New Hampshire Bureau of Aeronautics.
North Hampton Fire Lt. Jason Lajoie said the department's ambulance was the first to arrive.
“They found the victims both located outside the aircraft about 30 feet from the aircraft. One of them was laying down injured the other one was standing so they did manage to get out of the aircraft on their own,” Lajoie said.
Lajoie said the pilot suffered facial injuries. The passenger suffered unknown injuries in addition to burns over approximately 10 percent of his body.
Lajoie said he was surprised to find the men outside the plane when the first rescue crews arrived.
"From past experience and given the severity of the crash and the number of phone calls that were coming in I was anticipating that they were both going to be trapped. However, when we got there I was very surprised that they were both able to exit the aircraft on their own. It made our job easier and it probably saved on the number of injuries to them as well," he said.
Lajoie said the fuselage remained intact with the only damage at the plane's nose. The cockpit "held together very nicely." One of the wings was ripped off and remained in the trees, he said.
Lajoie said the fire damage wasn't extensive.
Cedar Road resident Nancy Warf was in her backyard with her 3-year-old grandson when she heard the plane crash and quickly called 911.
"I heard it hit the trees and then heard it hit the ground and I saw the fire," she said.
Warf said she heard a "sputtering" noise before the plane came down and she began hearing the trees cracking.
Firefighters from North Hampton and Hampton responded to the scene along with police from North Hampton, Greenland, Hampton, Rye, State Police and officers from New Hampshire Fire and Game.
- See more at: http://www.unionleader.com
Michael Maddocks, of the North Hampton Police Department, briefs reporters about the crash of a small plane Sunday morning. 
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