History of Flight
On September 22, 2012, at about 1330 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-180 airplane, registration N4567J, departed runway 17 at Northwest Regional Airport (F52), Roanoke, Texas. Witnesses reported that the takeoff roll was noticeably longer than typical, accompanied by an unusual engine sound. The airplane began a slight left turn, then descended toward a stand of trees and disappeared. The airplane struck tree tops and came to rest in a grove beyond the runway end.
Approximately 2–3 weeks before the accident, the airport manager had observed the same airplane depart with a rough-running engine, a high nose attitude, and what he thought was a near-stall at low altitude. The airplane circled back, conducted a go-around with continued rough engine sound, and barely made the runway, bouncing on landing. The manager advised the pilot to have the airplane inspected and to receive additional instruction.
Personnel Information
The pilot in the left seat held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument ratings. He reported 450 flight hours on his last medical application (issued March 2010) but his logbook showed 476.6 hours. Logbook entries included: August 4 – "new airplane checkout satisfactory"; August 17 – "aborted X-country, lost engine power, so landed" (0.3 hours); August 30 – "Test flight. Perfect" (1.1 hours). The flight instructor in the right seat held airline transport pilot and flight instructor certificates and reported 9,000 total flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 1968 Piper PA-28R-180, a four-seat, low-wing aircraft with retractable landing gear and a constant-speed propeller. It was powered by a 180-horsepower Lycoming IO-360-B1E engine. The front seats were equipped with lap belts only; no shoulder harnesses were installed. The most recent annual inspection was completed July 10, 2012, at which time the airframe had 7,048.11 hours and the engine had 100.11 hours since major overhaul. Maintenance records noted that during the annual, a fuel line was replaced, water was found in the fuel, and the flow divider, screens, and lines were flushed. No maintenance entries were recorded after July 10. The pilot's family provided an email excerpt dated August 28 stating, "was clogged fuel injection system. One fuel line was almost completely plugged. Will test fly tomorrow." A check for $200 to Richmond Aviation on August 30 was annotated "N4567J Maint."
Meteorological and Airport Information
At 1353, conditions at Fort Worth Alliance Airport (7 miles southwest) were: wind calm, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 92°F, dew point 46°F, barometric pressure 30.06 inHg. Northwest Regional Airport is a non-towered, privately owned airport open to the public. Runway 17/35 is 3,500 feet long and 40 feet wide. No flight plan was filed, and the pilot was not in contact with air traffic control. No distress calls were reported.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane struck trees off the south end of runway 17. Both wings separated near the wing roots and remained suspended in trees. The fuselage was found upright, tilted to the right, wedged among trees about 60 feet beyond the wings. Fuel was observed running from the wings; rust was present along the fuel filler ports. The fuselage exhibited heavy bending and buckling, and the engine and instrument panel were displaced rearward. The crankshaft broke behind the flange, but the propeller remained attached. One blade was bent under the airplane; the other two were unmarked except for twisted tips. The empennage sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilator; the vertical stabilizer and rudder had minor damage. The emergency locator transmitter was found with its activation switch in the "off" position.
Engine Examination
An examination by the National Transportation Safety Board established crankshaft continuity and valve train operation. Spark plugs produced spark when the engine was rotated. Cylinders generated suction and compression. Both magnetos produced spark. The oil filter was free of metal particles. The fuel flow divider contained small particles. The engine-driven fuel pump had internal rust and corrosion and contained residual fuel and water. The fuel servo contained fluid consistent with water and fuel, along with white particles and other particulates. A fuel sample taken after the accident appeared consistent with 100LL aviation fuel and was absent of water or debris.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies listed the cause of death for the flight instructor as blunt trauma to the chest and abdomen, and for the pilot as basilar skull fracture. Toxicological testing for the pilot was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, and tested drugs. For the flight instructor, results were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol, but positive for etomidate and ondansetron in blood and urine, and naproxen and salicylate in urine.