Accident Overview
On November 13, 2008, at approximately 1645 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-32-260, registration N3929W, collided with wooded terrain on a mesa near Sedona, Arizona. The airplane was operated by the pilot-owner under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot sustained serious injuries, and the two passengers were killed. The aircraft was destroyed by post-impact fire. The cross-country personal flight had departed Sedona Airport (SEZ) about 1630, destined for Hangar Haciendas Airport in Laveen, Arizona, following earlier sightseeing flights in the Sedona area. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Witness Observations
A witness near the airport observed the airplane depart from the northbound runway around 1630, noting it flew at a level attitude before beginning a slow right turn to the east. The airplane then turned south just below the cliff tops, continued south, and executed a 180-degree turn to the north, eventually passing beyond the cliffs and turning east out of view. Shortly after, the witness saw smoke on the plateau. A second witness, a pilot, reported similar observations and noted the low-wing airplane was flying at low speed and altitude, typical of sightseeing, with no smoke trailing. A witness near the accident site saw a small single-engine airplane flying east at 1645 and observed smoke five minutes later. He proceeded to the site, arriving 20 minutes later, and provided first aid to the pilot, who was outside the burning airplane. The pilot reported that the engine sputtered once and shut down, and that a restart attempt was unsuccessful. He also stated that a passenger had "passed out" before the crash. No mayday or distress calls were heard on the Sedona UNICOM frequency.
Personnel Information
The 51-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate issued on May 24, 2005, with a single-engine land rating. A third-class medical certificate was issued in October 2008, with limitations requiring corrective lenses for distant and near vision. The pilot's logbook indicated 379 total flight hours as of October 18, 2008, with a flight instructor endorsement on March 8, 2008, confirming proficiency in high-performance airplane operations.
Aircraft Information
The Piper PA-32-260 (N3929W) was a low-wing, fixed-gear airplane manufactured in 1967. It was powered by a six-cylinder Textron Lycoming O-540 engine and a Hartzell two-blade constant-speed propeller. The annual inspection was completed on February 1, 2008, at a tachometer time of 3,341.3 hours, with the engine having accumulated 1,484.8 flight hours since manufacture in June 1982. Fueling records from Sedona Airport showed 13.5 gallons of 100-octane low-lead aviation fuel were added before the accident flight.
Meteorological Information
The closest official weather observation station was at Ernest Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, Flagstaff, Arizona, about 18 miles north of the accident site. An aviation routine weather report at 1656 indicated wind variable between 270 and 340 degrees at 9 knots, gusting to 19 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; clear skies; temperature 16 degrees Celsius; dew point minus 5 degrees Celsius; and an altimeter setting of 30.10 inches of mercury. The approximate density altitude was 8,500 feet. A manager of an aircraft tour operator at Sedona Airport reported calm winds, temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius, and unrestricted visibility at the time of the accident.
Airport and Terrain
Sedona Airport is situated on a 500-foot-high mesa overlooking the town of Sedona, with steep terrain descending to valleys on all sides. Terrain north and east rises to mesa formations up to 6,500 feet within 6 miles. Runway 03 is 5,132 feet long and 100 feet wide at an airport elevation of 4,830 feet. The accident site was located at 6,400 feet elevation, 6 miles northeast of the airport, on a plateau with a 10-degree downslope and scattered oak, juniper, and pine trees.
Wreckage and Impact
The first identified point of contact was a tree trunk approximately 40 feet above ground level, with a section of the left wing fuel tank at its base. The debris field extended on a heading of 340 degrees magnetic for 190 feet to the outboard section of the left wing. The main wreckage came to rest inverted on a heading of 240 degrees magnetic, 60 feet beyond the left wing. It consisted of the fuselage, right wing, left wing inboard section, vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilator, engine, and propeller. The engine had separated from the firewall and was aligned with the cabin. Fire consumed the fuselage, center stabilator, and right wing trailing edge, flaps, and aileron. The right main fuel tank was breached and contained traces of blue liquid. All major sections were accounted for. The fuel selector valve was found in the left tip tank position; flap torque tube indicated flaps retracted; and stabilator trim corresponded to approximately 50 percent nose-up.
Engine Examination
Spark plugs from cylinders two, four, and six were oil-soaked; others were light gray, indicating normal operation but worn beyond service limits. Cylinder inspection via borescope showed intact valves, undamaged combustion chambers, and no evidence of foreign object ingestion or detonation. The mechanical fuel pump had separated at the diaphragm housing and sustained thermal damage; the carburetor had separated and its internal gasket, floats, and needle valve were thermally disintegrated, but the fuel intake screen was clear. The crankshaft rotated freely, with thumb compression on all cylinders and valve train continuity confirmed. The oil sump screen was unobstructed, and the oil filter was impact-damaged but attached. The propeller had separated from the crankshaft, with both blades exhibiting chordwise abrasions, S-bending, and leading-edge gouges; tips were fragmented.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies of the two passengers conducted by the Coconino County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as thermal injuries. The pilot's third-class medical certificate application listed use of Lisinopril and Synthroid and noted a fused right knee. The pilot succumbed to injuries two months after the accident, with the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner reporting the cause of death as complications of thermal injuries.