History of Flight
On August 17, 2009, about 1450 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-24, registration N6304P, impacted terrain approximately 450 yards north of the approach end of runway 30 at Ernest A. Love Field (PRC) in Prescott, Arizona. The pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged and a post-impact fire occurred. The flight was destined for an undetermined location, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot/owner operated the flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Witnesses on the airport reported that the airplane was no more than 150–200 feet above ground level (agl) during the initial climb and did not appear to gain altitude. The airplane was described as slow, with a high angle of attack, and at times porpoising. Near the intersection of runways 21L and 30, the airplane entered a shallow left bank that increased before impacting the ground and bursting into flames. Witnesses reported that the landing gear had been retracted prior to the left bank. Two witnesses heard a strong engine sound during the initial climb but later could not hear the engine.
Personnel Information
The 66-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane, and a third-class medical certificate issued June 17, 2008, with a limitation requiring corrective lenses. No personal flight records were located. According to FAA medical records, the pilot reported 750 total flight hours, with 20 hours in the previous 6 months.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 1959 Piper PA-24, serial number 24-1414, with a Textron Lycoming O-360-A1A engine. Total airframe time at the last annual inspection (August 13, 2009) was 2,480.4 hours. Engine time at the last 100-hour annual was 941.4 hours, with 1,704.4 hours since major overhaul. Fueling records showed 28.8 gallons of 100-octane low-lead aviation fuel were added on the day of the accident.
Meteorological Information
Weather at the time included wind from 200 degrees at 9 knots gusting to 19 knots, temperature 32°C, dew point -08°C, altimeter 30.12 inHg, and density altitude 7,896 feet.
Communications
According to FAA inspectors, the airplane was cleared for a full-length takeoff on runway 21L. Tower personnel reported that at the intersection of runways 21L and 30, the pilot stated, "Comanche zero four Papa has to come back." The controller cleared the pilot to land on runway 30, and no further transmissions were received.
Airport Information
Ernest A. Love Field (elevation 5,045 feet) has runway 21L, which is 7,626 feet long and 150 feet wide, with an asphalt/porous friction course surface.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The on-scene inspection revealed no mechanical anomalies. The fuselage came to rest on a small hill adjacent to Davidson's, Inc., mostly consumed by fire. The debris path was along a 063-degree magnetic heading, approximately 115 feet long. The first identified point of impact was a ground scar about 16 feet long; main wreckage was an additional 30 feet beyond. The propeller assembly with blades and a wing root fairing were found in the debris path. The airplane came to rest upright on a 075-degree magnetic heading. The engine-to-instrument panel section was inverted adjacent to the right cockpit side. The left wing sustained extensive thermal damage but remained attached with flight controls intact. The right wing sustained impact and thermal damage and separated outboard of the flap surface. The fuel selector was positioned to the LEFT fuel tank.
Flight control continuity was established from the tail section to the cockpit despite fire damage. The empennage and tail section remained connected. The left wing's aileron and balance cables remained attached; the right wing's aileron bellcrank was broken. The engine was manually rotated, producing thumb compression on all cylinders. The carburetor was separated, and the top spark plugs exhibited normal wear. The left magneto did not produce spark; the right magneto was damaged and would not rotate. The propeller separated at the crankshaft flange; one blade showed s-bending and chordwise scratches, with a separated tip; the other blade also had s-bending.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Yavapai County Office of the Medical Examiner completed an autopsy on the pilot on August 18, 2009, listing the cause of death as blunt impact injuries. Toxicological testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Laboratory found no carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, or tested drugs.