Accident Overview
On December 30, 2021, at 1550 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-235 airplane, registration N8591W, sustained substantial damage in an accident near Presidio Lely International Airport (PRS), Presidio, Texas. The pilot and five passengers suffered serious injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Incident Details
According to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane had just departed from PRS and impacted terrain approximately 600 yards northwest of the departure end of runway 35. The airplane came to rest upright, with substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage.
The pilot, who was not certificated, fled the scene and was unavailable during the investigation. The passengers were transported to medical facilities for treatment and did not provide any information for the investigation.
Postaccident Examination
Postaccident examination and photographs revealed that the airplane struck the ground with a high pitch attitude and came to rest about 50 yards from the initial impact point. The fuel selector valve was positioned to the left wing tip fuel tank, which contained no fuel. The left main fuel tank was breached from impact damage and also contained no fuel. The right main fuel tank and right tip tank were intact and empty. The elevator trim was found slightly up from neutral.
The propeller sustained S-bending, forward curled tips, and chordwise abrasions. The examination did not find any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Weight and Balance Considerations
Local law enforcement reported to the FAA inspector that the total occupant and baggage weight was about 1,153 lbs. The seating arrangement included one passenger in the right front seat, three in the rear seats, and one in the aft baggage compartment. A fuel receipt showed that the airplane had been filled with 42.23 gallons of fuel about two hours before the accident at Winkler County Airport (INK), Wink, Texas, approximately 142 nautical miles north-northeast of PRS.
The estimated takeoff weight of the airplane was between 2,642 lbs and 2,775 lbs, with a maximum gross weight of 2,900 lbs. The estimated center of gravity was between +93.89 and +93.94 inches aft of datum, which exceeded the allowable aft limit of +93.5 inches.