History of Flight
On December 6, 2009, at approximately 1037 eastern standard time, a turbocharged Piper PA-32R-301, registration N5319J, was substantially damaged during an aborted takeoff from Billy Mitchell Airport (HSE) in Hatteras, North Carolina. The private pilot, who was also the owner, was not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot had flown the airplane from Norfolk, Virginia, to HSE two days earlier and planned to return on the accident flight. The aircraft was equipped with an aftermarket monitoring system that audibly alerted when any parameter limit was exceeded, using the same tone for all parameters. The pilot performed a normal preflight inspection, engine start, and run-up. He obtained weather from the HSE automated surface observation system (ASOS) and selected runway 7 for departure based on the winds. After advancing the throttle, the takeoff roll began, and the pilot reported normal engine response and roll.
At an indicated airspeed of approximately 85 to 90 knots, the pilot applied back pressure on the yoke to initiate liftoff. Simultaneously, he heard an aural alarm from the monitoring system. Glancing at the instruments, he believed the digital manifold pressure display indicated 39 inches of mercury, exceeding the 38-inch limit. The pilot decided to abort the takeoff, pushed the yoke forward, retarded the throttle, and applied toe brakes. The airplane veered left but remained on the runway. Suspecting a right brake malfunction, he used right rudder and left brake to decelerate. As speed decreased, rudder effectiveness diminished, and he reduced left brake pressure to maintain directional control. Several hundred feet before the runway end, the airplane departed the left side into sand, decelerating while paralleling the runway. After traveling approximately 200 to 300 feet across the sand, the left wing struck a sand dune, causing the airplane to rotate 90 degrees left and come to rest against bushes and dunes. The pilot shut down the airplane and exited safely. No witnesses were present; first responders included National Park Service (NPS) rangers and local volunteer fire department personnel.
Pilot Information
FAA records showed the pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. He reported his most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued in March 2009, with 215 total flight hours, including about 155 hours in the accident airplane. His private pilot practical test, also his most recent flight review, was completed in May 2009.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 2001 and equipped with a Lycoming TIO-540 series piston engine. In December 2006, while registered to a previous owner, it was involved in a landing overrun accident in Crystal Beach, Texas. Sold to a salvage facility in June 2007, the current owner/pilot purchased it in March 2009. The most recent annual inspection was completed in March 2009, at approximately 990 total hours. At the accident, total hours were about 1,141.
Meteorological Information
The 1020 weather observation at HSE reported winds from 010 degrees, variable 330 to 040, at 8 knots gusting to 16 knots. The 1051 observation showed winds from 010 degrees, variable 340 to 050, at 11 knots gusting to 19 knots. Both observations indicated 10 miles visibility, temperature about 7°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.32 inches of mercury.
Airport Information
FAA records described HSE with a single asphalt runway, 07-25, measuring 3,000 feet by 75 feet at an elevation of 17 feet. The airport was owned by NPS but maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). It was normally unattended, with NPS facilities and rangers in the area and NCDOT offices 260 miles away. NPS rangers and the local VFD responded, but neither had established aircraft accident response protocols, contributing to their inability to temporarily close the airport during rescue and recovery.
As a result of response difficulties, NCDOT and NPS jointly implemented safety improvements at HSE, including NPS accident response protocols, regularly scheduled training and coordination sessions for agencies (NPS, NCDOT, FAA, first responders), and purchase of safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, runway closure signs, and communications devices. NCDOT also created a new website (www.billymitchellairport.com) to improve dissemination of safety-related information to pilots.
Wreckage and Impact Information
According to the FAA, the airplane came to rest several hundred feet from where it departed the paved surface and about 200 feet prior to the runway end, upright and facing north. Both wings, the cowl, the forward fuselage, and the nose landing gear sustained substantial impact damage. The reported right brake failure could not be confirmed, and no cause for such a failure was observed.