Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Houston, Texas
Lycoming Engines; Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
http://registry.faa.gov/N5661R
Accident Number: CEN16LA225
Date & Time: 06/19/2016, 2232 CDT
Registration: N5661R
Aircraft: PIPER PA 24
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Fuel exhaustion
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On June 19, 2016, about 2232 central daylight time, a Piper PA-24-180 airplane, N5661R, was substantially damaged after it impacted the roof of a warehouse following a complete loss of engine power during approach to William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The airplane departed from an unknown airport near St. Louis, Missouri, about 1730 and was destined for HOU.
When the airplane was about six miles north of HOU the pilot informed the controller he had lost all engine power and would not be able to make it the to airport. The controller dispatched emergency equipment to the airplane's last known position and a police helicopter quickly found the wreckage on the roof of a 40-foot tall warehouse. Emergency responders treated the pilot at the scene, lowered him from the warehouse roof, and transported him to the hospital. There was no evidence of a fuel spill and there was no post-impact fire .
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the airplane, no fuel was found in either fuel tank. In a hospital interview, the pilot told the inspector that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. No information was obtained during the investigation that detailed where the pilot had departed from or how much fuel was onboard the airplane at the start of the accident flight.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 57, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Lap Only
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Unknown
Last FAA Medical Exam:
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 08/04/2015
Flight Time: (Estimated) 200 hours (Total, all aircraft), 24 hours (Total, this make and model)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Registration: N5661R
Model/Series: PA 24
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1959
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 24-732
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 01/16/2016, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2550 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 22 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 4090 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT:
Engine Model/Series: O-360-A1A
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 180 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Night
Observation Facility, Elevation: KHOU, 47 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 6 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 2153 CDT
Direction from Accident Site: 153°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 3000 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 4 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:
Wind Direction: 150°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual:
Altimeter Setting: 30.13 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 27°C / 23°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: St. Loui, MO (SUS)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Houston, TX (HOU)
Type of Clearance: VFR
Departure Time: 1730 CDT
Type of Airspace: Class B
Airport Information
Airport: William P. Hobby (HOU)
Runway Surface Type: Concrete
Airport Elevation: 46 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 12L
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 5148 ft / 100 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Forced Landing
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 29.732222, -95.335556 (est)
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, June 19, 2016 in Houston, TX
Aircraft: PIPER PA 24, registration: N5661R
Injuries: 1 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 June 19, 2016, about 2232 central daylight time, a Piper PA-24 single-engine airplane, N5661R, was substantially damaged after it impacted the roof of a warehouse following a complete loss of engine power during arrival at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had not been filed. The airplane had departed from an unknown airport near St. Louis, Missouri, about 1730 and was destined for HOU.
When the airplane was about six miles north of HOU the pilot informed the controller he had lost all engine power and would not be able to make it the to airport. The controller dispatched emergency equipment to the airplane's last known position and a police helicopter quickly found the wreckage on the 40-foot tall roof of a large warehouse. Emergency responders treated the pilot at the scene, lowered him from the warehouse roof, and transported him to the hospital. There was no evidence of a fuel spill and there was no postimpact fire.
At 2153 the automated surface observation system at HOU reported wind from 150 degrees at 4 knots, , visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 3,000 feet above ground level (agl), scattered clouds at 25,000 feet agl, temperature 27 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 23 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.13 inches of mercury. Data from the U. S. Naval Observatory showed that sunset occurred at 2025 and the end of evening civil twilight occurred at 2052.
HOUSTON - HOUSTON - A small plane crashed on top of a Macy's warehouse near the UH campus in southeast Houston late Sunday.
The 'very lucky' pilot survived.
"He could not have landed on a better spot. He's right on top of a structural I-beam," said Lee Hinajosa with Montgomery County Iron Works.
Photos show the plane split open, the crumpled wreckage at the very edge of the two story building.
The building is located on Ernestine near Harby – just across I-45 from the University of Houston.
When the Houston Fire Department got the call around 10:57 p.m. they had to use emergency beacons to figure out where the plane crashed.
The Hobby Airport tower advised that the small plane went off the radar about four miles north of the airport.
“And I was watching it and I was watching the struggle,” said Jonathan Siguenza who lives nearby. “We heard like a big bang and we tried to come and look for it and we didn’t see it.”
An emergency beacon on the plane led Houston firefighters to the roof, where they used a rescue basket to lower the pilot to the ground.
The pilot, 54, was the only one in the airplane. He was released from the hospital after only a few hours.
'Very very lucky. To put it mildly. Very lucky. I can't believe he even found the roof in the dark," Hinajosa said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Hinajosa, the building maintenance chief, is in charge of getting the mess of mangled metal down to the ground.
"We'll disassemble it up there on the roof and bring it down in pieces. I need to find out who wants it and where it's gonna go," he said. "But I think the safe thing is to disassemble it before we bring it down because it will come apart when we pick it up anyway."
The only damage to the roof is a broken skylight and the rain gutter clipped by the left wing.
Story and video: http://www.khou.com
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A small aircraft made a crash landing on the roof of a building in central Houston late Sunday evening.
According to air traffic controllers, the aircraft disappeared from radar on approach to Hobby Airport.
It was located an hour later on the roof of the Macy's Distribution Center on the 2000 block of Ernstine Street off the Gulf Freeway.
The pilot survived the landing and is "alert and conscious." Nobody else was aboard the plane.
Story and video: http://abc13.com
HOUSTON - The National Transportation Safety Board will send investigators to southeast Houston after a small plane crashed on top of a warehouse late Sunday.
The building is located on Ernestine near Harby – just across I-45 from the University of Houston.
When the Houston Fire Department got the call around 10:57 p.m. they had to use emergency beacons to figure out where the plane crashed.
The Hobby Airport tower advised that the small plane went off the radar about four miles north of the airport.
The pilot, 54, was the only one in the airplane. He's now hospitalized.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
HFD says the incident will also be investigated by Houston Police and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Original article can be found here: http://www.khou.com
A plane crash-landed onto a roof a building in southeast Houston Sunday night.
According to the Houston Fire Department, the plane hit the Macy’s Distribution Center on Ernestine Street about four miles north of Hobby Airport around 10:57 p.m. Sunday.
The pilot, 54, survived and was taken to the Texas Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
According to firefighters, he was alert and conscious when he was taken to the hospital.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate to figure out what led to the accident.
Original article can be found here: http://www.click2houston.com
Goodness! That is two crashes in less than two weeks at Hobby.
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