Accident Overview
On October 18, 2008, at approximately 1406 central daylight time, a single-engine Piper PA-36-285 sustained substantial damage upon impact with terrain near Silverton, Texas. The commercial pilot, the only occupant, was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. No eyewitnesses reported the accident; a nearby resident heard the engine operating followed by a crash and called emergency services.
Aircraft Examination
The majority of the airplane was recovered and examined by the National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration inspectors, and a Piper technical representative. The vertical fin was not recovered. The airplane was equipped with a wire deflector on the cockpit windshield, which had a bend toward the left side, with a more pronounced bend near midspan. An anti-snag deflector cable, routed from the cockpit to the vertical fin, was torn immediately forward of the fin, with broomstrawing at the cable end. The spar caps on both sides of the vertical spar showed compression damage with shear lips bent aft. The spar web exhibited tearing with aft-bent shear lips. No pre-existing defects were noted in the vertical spar attachment area. The rudder had compression wrinkling on its lower portion. Propeller blades displayed leading-edge gouging and chord-wise scratches consistent with engine power at impact. No anomalies were detected in the flight control surfaces or engine.
Pilot Restraints
The pilot's restraints appeared faded and worn. The left lap belt failed inboard of the adjustment buckle, with the failure area showing wear and stretching. The cable securing the shoulder harness to the inertial reel failed below the harness connection, consistent with cable routing over the retraction pulley. No identification tags were on the belt. The airframe logbook recorded replacement of all restraint cables on March 14, 1997, and the center shoulder harness cable on April 28, 2000, but no entry for webbing replacement. Federal Aviation Regulations Part 23 does not specify a replacement schedule for seat restraints. The Piper service manual advises replacing safety belts if cut, frayed, or broken stitching is evident. Advisory Circular 43.13-1B CH 1 notes that safety belts must have proper TSO markings and that webbing deteriorates with use, cleaning, and aging, with fraying indicating wear and potential unairworthiness.
Pilot History
The pilot was incapacitated for several weeks after the accident and could not complete an NTSB Form 6120. On July 18, 2008, the pilot was involved in another accident involving substantial damage to a Grumman G-164A during a forced landing due to a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons (DFW08CA192). During that investigation, the pilot reported 1,850 total flight hours. Local power companies reported no downed wires in the area of the accident.