On November 1, 2013, a PIPER PA 23-250 (registration N6068Y) operated by GARLAM AVIATION CO was involved in an aviation accident near Caledonia, MN. 3 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's loss of control for reasons that could not be determined because the postaccident airplane examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A Piper Aztec crashed near Houston County Airport in Minnesota on Nov. 1, 2013, killing three people and seriously injuring one. The aircraft was on a cross-country flight from Michigan.
Accident Overview and Casualties On November 1, 2013, at approximately 1515 CDT, a Piper Aztec, PA-23-250, registration N6068Y, impacted terrain near Houston County Airport (KCHU) in Caledonia, Minnesota. The private-rated pilot, a pilot-rated passenger, and one passenger were killed, while a fourth passenger sustained serious injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to Garlam Aviation of Troy, Michigan, and was being operated by a private individual under 14 CFR Part 91 as a cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Oakland/Troy Airport (KVLL) in Troy, Michigan, at about 1100 CDT and was en route to KCHU. No witnesses reported the accident; a local resident discovered the wreckage and alerted authorities. The surviving passenger later reported waking in a hospital with no memory of the accident, though he recalled preflight activities, taxiing, and the run-up before losing consciousness. ## Personnel and Aircraft The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine land and instrument-airplane. His third-class medical certificate, issued June 12, 2013, required corrective lenses. At the time of the exam, he reported 400 total flight hours and 3 hours in the previous six months. The pilot-rated passenger held a private pilot certificate with similar ratings. His third-class medical certificate, issued June 15, 2012, required lenses for distant vision and glasses for near vision. He reported 2,150 total flight hours and 10 hours in the previous six months. The Piper PA-23-250 Aztec is a twin-engine, low-wing airplane with retractable landing gear and Hartzell two-bladed, constant-speed, full-feathering propellers. It was powered by two Lycoming IO-540 reciprocating engines. Maintenance records showed the last annual inspection on March 12, 2013, at 4,768 hours. The right engine tachometer read 1,440 hours since overhaul, and the left engine tachometer read 1,108 hours since overhaul. ## Meteorological and Communications At 1553, the automated weather observation facility at La Crosse Municipal Airport (KLSE), about 20 miles northeast of the accident site, reported wind from 320 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, a broken ceiling at 3,700 feet, temperature 51°F, dew point 38°F, and barometric pressure 29.64 inches of mercury. Prior to departure, the pilot contacted a Flight Service Station and received a weather briefing. He filed an IFR flight plan from KVLL to KCHU with an en route time of two and a half hours and five and a half hours of fuel on board. Air traffic control communications showed the pilot was cleared for the GPS-A approach before reaching KCHU and canceled his IFR clearance at about 1405. No further communications or distress calls were reported. ## Airport and Wreckage Houston County Airport (KCHU) is a public-use airport about 3 miles south of Caledonia, Minnesota. It is unattended and lacks a control tower; pilots use the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF). The airport has a single asphalt runway 13-31, 3,499 feet long and 77 feet wide, with a field elevation of 1,179 feet MSL. The accident site was about 590 feet northeast of KCHU's runway in an open soybean field. The wreckage path included ground scars and airplane pieces extending approximately 100 feet from the main wreckage on a 260-degree heading. The first impact point was a ground scar containing remains of a green navigation light lens. About 24 feet from the green lens fragments, another ground scar contained several cuts, and the next major ground scar contained the airplane's nose baggage door and fragmented windshield pieces. Both wings had extensive damage and were twisted upward from the wing roots. The fuel bladders in the wings were compromised, though a small amount of fuel remained in the tanks. The left engine and engine mount had mostly separated from but remained next to the left wing. The right engine had totally separated from the wing and was located about 15 feet to the right of the main wreckage. Ground scars and wreckage were consistent with the right wing impacting first, followed by the right engine and fuselage. The airplane came to rest upright, turned about 180 degrees, and facing the first impact point. Landing gear and flaps were retracted. Control continuity was established from the tail control surfaces to the forward fuselage; aileron continuity was established to the left and right bellcranks, with impact damage to the right aileron bellcrank. ## Medical, Pathological, and Technical Findings The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, conducted autopsies on the pilot and pilot-rated passenger, determining the causes of death as multiple blunt force injuries. The FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory in Oklahoma City performed toxicology tests on both, which were negative for carbon monoxide, ethanol, and tested drugs. Wreckage was recovered and engine examinations conducted. Continuity was established from the front of the crankshaft to the rear gear drive section of each engine and through their valve trains. The top set of sparkplugs was removed, and each engine was rotated by hand; each cylinder produced suction and compression during a thumb test. Both magnetos were removed from each engine; all four rotated freely and produced a spark on each terminal. The engines' fuel flow dividers, fuel pumps, and fuel servos were removed and opened, containing residual fuel and appearing clear of contaminants. Both propellers remained attached to their respective engines and had similar signatures. The left engine's propeller blade A appeared straight without polishing or scoring; blade B was bent toward the cambered side about 12 inches from the hub to about a 45-degree angle, with minor leading edge polishing near the tip. The right engine's propeller blade B was similarly bent toward the cambered side, starting about 12 inches from the hub to about a 45-degree angle, with minor leading edge polishing outboard of the deicing boot. Blade A was relatively straight without scuffs or scoring. No abnormalities were found that would have prevented the engines from producing rated power. ## Additional Information The surviving passenger stated he did not know why they would be at Caledonia, though typically they would pick a place about halfway to their destination to exercise the dogs, use the restroom, and refuel the airplane. He added that he had flown with them numerous times and never observed anything unsafe with the pilots or airplane. The usual routine would be to put the airplane away full of fuel.