History of Flight
On March 29, 2015, about 0940 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N32396, impacted terrain during takeoff from Orange County Airport (OMH), Orange, Virginia. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the student pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which was operated by Skyline Aviation Services. The solo instructional flight was destined for Farmville Regional Airport (FVX), Farmville, Virginia, and was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The owner of the flight school, also a flight instructor, had flown with the student on several occasions. She stated that the student was departing on his first solo cross-country flight when the accident occurred. The morning of the accident, she reviewed his preflight planning, endorsed his logbook, and assisted him in a preflight inspection and engine run-up. She observed no anomalies with the airplane. The pilot then taxied to obtain fuel, performed a second engine run-up, and departed from runway 08. She stated that the takeoff appeared normal, but the pilot initiated a left turn to the crosswind leg earlier than customary. As the airplane turned left, its nose pitched up abruptly, and it rolled sharply left and descended to ground contact. The CFI immediately called 911 and responded to the accident site.
Two pilot-rated witnesses on the north side of the airport observed the takeoff. They remarked that the airplane appeared "abnormally slow" and not gaining altitude. Both reported seeing a thin trail of "smoke" or "brown exhaust" from the engine. The witnesses observed the airplane make a sharp left turn from about 150 feet above ground level and descend steeply. One witness reported that the wind was light and variable from the north and east. Both witnesses stated they did not observe any birds, and neither perceived abnormalities in engine noise, though one described the engine as "quieter than it should be."
Another witness driving parallel to the runway reported seeing the airplane accelerate down the runway and "looked like it was having trouble" shortly after becoming airborne. He observed the nose pitch up twice and a trail of black smoke. The airplane appeared to level out, then made a "hard" left turn as the nose dropped, disappearing behind trees.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a student pilot certificate and FAA third-class medical certificate issued on January 20, 2015. His logbook showed 30.6 total flight hours, with about 18 hours in the accident airplane and 2.7 hours solo.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1974, originally equipped with a Lycoming O-320 series 150 hp engine. In 2002, the engine was overhauled and equipped with a Penn Yan Aero RAM160 supplemental type certificate, increasing power to 160 hp. A 100-hour inspection was completed on February 20, 2015, at 5,156 airframe hours. At the accident, the airplane had 5,187.6 hours. The flight school had operated the airplane under a lease for about 18 months prior and purchased it about 3 weeks before the accident.
Meteorological Information
The 0935 weather observation at OMH included wind from 040 degrees at 3 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 0°C, dew point -12°C, and altimeter 30.41 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest upright in a field about 1,330 feet northeast of the departure end of runway 08, oriented on a heading of about 170° magnetic. An initial impact point with a ground scar containing left wing navigation light pieces was identified. Disturbed soil extended north toward a large impact crater about 6 feet long and 3 feet wide, containing propeller spinner pieces and ground scars consistent with propeller contact. The propeller remained attached; one blade had slight forward bending, both blades showed chordwise scratching and leading edge gouging. The engine remained attached by bottom mounts. The fuselage displayed significant aft crushing from the firewall to rear cabin seats, displaced left just aft of the baggage area.
Both wings had significant aft crushing of leading edges. The left wing separated at the root and the fuel tank was breached, with residual fuel and cap secure. Left aileron attached; control continuity established through cable breaks at the wing root consistent with overstress. The right wing remained attached; outboard 4 feet bent upward about 45°. Right fuel tank breached and leaking; cap secure. Right aileron attached; control continuity established. Wing flaps were fully retracted.
The empennage was intact with minor impact damage. Rudder and stabilator attached; control continuity established. Stabilator trim screw indicated between neutral and full nose-up trim. Windscreen and left cabin window were destroyed. Examination revealed no evidence of bird strike.
The carburetor heat control was off, primer in and locked, fuel selector in the right tank position and could not be manipulated due to impact damage. The engine crankshaft rotated by hand confirmed continuity. Spark plugs removed displayed black carbon fouling; #1 and #3 bottom plugs oil-covered. Thumb compression obtained on all cylinders; borescope showed no anomalies. Carburetor inlet screen absent of debris. Carburetor removed and opened; floats intact, bowl contained fuel consistent with 100LL and absent of contamination. Magnetos produced spark at all leads.
Examination of the pilot's seat on April 29, 2015, found the seat secure on track, adjustment lever functioning properly, and no abnormal wear. Three of eight spark plugs produced weak and intermittent spark; one plug produced no spark but was likely damaged during removal. The stall warning switch tested and electrical continuity confirmed when manipulated.
Additional Information
Carburetor testing at the manufacturer's facility on May 26, 2015, with an FAA inspector present revealed that after initial flow testing, the main gasket and float were misaligned (likely due to on-scene disassembly/reassembly). Floats appeared in good condition. After proper alignment, the carburetor was flow tested at four power settings; it produced fuel flow between 9.3% and 12.1% richer than the master unit, and between 2.5% and 7.5% richer than maximum acceptable limits.
Review of maintenance logs showed no inspections or maintenance between December 2010 (4,876.7 hours) and May 2013 annual inspection (4,887.4 hours). In February 2013, all four engine cylinders were disassembled, cleaned, inspected, and returned to service limits. In April 2013, the carburetor was "repaired as necessary" and a service bulletin for replacement of hollow floats with solid epoxy floats was complied with.
FAA Advisory Circular 61-67C, "Stall and Spin Awareness Training," stated that stalls from improper airspeed management are most likely when a pilot is distracted by tasks such as locating a checklist, attempting an engine restart, flying a traffic pattern in windy conditions, reading a chart, or retrieving items. It noted that pilots at all skill levels should be aware of increased risk of inadvertent stall or spin while performing tasks secondary to controlling the aircraft.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Northern Virginia District identified the cause of death as blunt trauma. Toxicological testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory was negative for carbon monoxide, ethanol, and all tested-for drugs and their metabolites.