Accident Details
On June 25, 2010, at approximately 1430 central daylight time, a Piper PA-36-285 airplane, registration N269JW, was substantially damaged following an impact with terrain and a building near Fremont, Nebraska. The commercial pilot was seriously injured. The repositioning flight originated from Tekamah, Nebraska, about 1400 and was en route to a private airstrip near Sutton, Nebraska. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
Witness Account
A witness driving on a road observed the airplane flying erratically toward him as if to land. The airplane then made a sharp turn toward a small alfalfa field next to the road. It struck a fence with its right wing, then a fence and a pole with the left wing, before colliding with a building on a farm. The witness noted the propeller was turning, and investigators found four ground scars indicative of propeller strikes at the scene. The airplane’s empennage and left wing were separated from the fuselage. The pilot reported no recollection of the accident.
Postaccident Examination
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors examined the wreckage and confirmed flight control continuity to all control surfaces. Fuel was present in the right fuel tank; the left tank was compromised and empty. No anomalies were observed with the engine that would have precluded normal operation prior to impact. All three propeller blades exhibited leading edge polishing and chord-wise scratches. According to an FAA inspector, an annual inspection had been completed on the airplane on June 24, 2010, the day before the accident, and the airplane had accumulated less than one hour of flight time since that inspection. The engine had been overhauled in 2001 and had accumulated about 65 hours since overhaul at the time of the accident.