History of Flight
On January 16, 2012, about 1242 central standard time, an Aerostar Aircraft Corporation PA-60-601P, registration N700PS, experienced a loss of directional control during initial takeoff and crashed in an open field near Philadelphia Municipal Airport (MPE), Philadelphia, Mississippi. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight to Key Field Airport, Meridian, Mississippi. The airplane sustained substantial damage from impact and a postcrash fire. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured.
A witness in another airplane waiting to depart observed the takeoff roll from runway 18. The witness reported that the accident airplane became airborne just before the intersection of the ramp and runway. Immediately after becoming airborne, the airplane “got squirrelly” and veered left. The witness later taxied onto the runway and noted the wind at 160 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 20 knots. Another witness saw the airplane airborne, roll left, and remarked that “it looked like the wind caught the wing.” The airplane rolled onto its left side and pitched nose down, impacting the ground. A third witness northeast of the accident site heard the takeoff roll, saw the airplane veering left, then observed it roll left and pitch nose down.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 48, held an airline transport pilot certificate with multi-engine land rating and a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land rating. He was type-rated in several transport-category airplanes and held a first-class medical certificate issued July 27, 2011, with no limitations. On his last medical application, he reported 6,200 total flight hours. In December 2011, he completed initial ground and flight training in the accident airplane, including 24 hours of ground instruction and 2.0 hours of dual flight. The flight training included stalls, VMCa demonstrations, engine failures after takeoff, and multiple takeoffs and landings.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1977 as a Ted Smith Aerostar PA-60-601P, serial number 61P-0427-157. It was originally equipped with two Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 engines rated at 290 hp. In December 1996, it was modified by STC SA1658NM, installing 350 hp Lycoming TIO-540-U2A engines; the VMCa remained 97 mph indicated airspeed. The fuel system included integral wing tanks (65 gallons each, 62 usable) and a bladder-type fuselage tank (43.5 gallons total, 41.5 usable). A “LOW FUEL” annunciator light illuminated when 12 gallons remained in the fuselage tank. The airplane was not equipped with a crossfeed annunciator light.
Maintenance records showed the last annual inspection on December 27, 2011, at 2,856.9 hours total time; about 22 hours were flown thereafter. On the accident day, a mechanic reinstalled the left engine servo fuel injector after bench testing, cleaned fuel injector nozzles, and adjusted idle settings. The mechanic performed a high-speed taxi test about 3 hours 37 minutes before the accident, reporting that all engine parameters were normal and that the left wing tank had 4–5 gallons, the right tank 2–3 gallons, and the center tank 18 gallons. After the test, he added 22 gallons of 100LL fuel to the center tank, bringing it to 40 gallons.
Meteorological Information
A surface observation at 1245, about three minutes after the accident, reported wind from 180 degrees at 14 knots with gusts to 20 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 2,400 and 6,500 feet, and a broken ceiling at 9,000 feet. Temperature was 19°C, altimeter 30.24 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main wreckage came to rest about 930 feet east of the runway centerline, abeam the departure end of runway 18. Impact craters from the left wing leading edge, both engines, and the upper fuselage were noted. The left wing ground scar was oriented on a magnetic heading of 154°, and the fuselage scar on 128°. Postcrash fire extensively damaged the cockpit, cabin, wings, and empennage. Flight control continuity was confirmed with no preimpact failures. Cockpit examination revealed the left throttle, left propeller, and both mixture controls at full forward; the right throttle was slightly less than full forward, and the right propeller control slightly less. The flap selector was down, landing gear handle up. The left fuel selector knob was separated; its shaft key was aligned to the OFF position. The right fuel selector knob was broken; after removal, it was determined to be in the crossfeed position. The fuel sump assembly showed extensive heat damage; valve position indicators showed No. 1 closed, Nos. 3 and 4 open, and No. 2 destroyed. Engine examinations found crankshaft continuity, compression, and spark on both engines. Propellers were in low pitch and not feathered at impact. No preimpact anomalies were found.
Conclusion
No probable cause was stated in the source.