Accident Overview
On November 5, 2024, at 1639 mountain daylight time, a Honda HA-420, registration N57HP, was destroyed in an accident near Mesa, Arizona. The aircraft was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot and three passengers were fatally injured, one passenger was seriously injured, and the single occupant of an automobile was fatally injured.
Flight Details
According to the surviving passenger, the flight was from Falcon Field Airport (FFZ), Mesa, Arizona, to Provo Municipal Airport (PVU), Provo, Utah, to attend a college basketball game. The group intended to return to FFZ the same night and had no luggage. A friend assisted the occupants as they boarded and prepared for departure. The pilot had fueled the aircraft from a private fuel tank prior to the flight; the friend did not know the exact amount added but stated that the pilot indicated sufficient fuel for the trip and intended to refuel at PVU before returning. The friend did not witness the takeoff.
Takeoff and Accident Sequence
The Air Traffic Control Tower controller cleared the pilot for takeoff from runway 22L, which the pilot acknowledged. No further radio transmissions were received from the pilot. Security video showed the aircraft accelerating on runway 22L until about 3,000 feet from the approach end of the runway (approximately 2,100 feet of runway remaining). The aircraft then began to decelerate and overran the departure end of the runway near the centerline. It maintained runway heading, struck the airport perimeter fence about 600 feet beyond the runway end, continued across a roadway, struck a single vehicle, and came to rest upright on the far side of the road. The fuselage fractured forward of the leading edge of the wings, and a post-impact fire ensued.
Wreckage and Systems Examination
On-site examination of the wreckage was conducted before it was moved for further evaluation. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to all control surfaces, and all major components were identified at the site. No evidence indicated any parts separated from the aircraft before it struck the perimeter fence. The control column gust lock was found uninstalled. The brake and anti-skid system were examined and showed no anomalies.
Avionics and Flight Data
The aircraft was equipped with a Garmin G3000 Integrated Flight Deck avionics suite, which records flight log data on a removable Secure Data (SD) card and Central Maintenance Data (CMD) within the primary flight display (PFD) and multi-function display (MFD). Flight log data includes some airplane performance and engine parameters but does not record system warnings. The SD card was recovered from the MFD, and flight log data for the accident flight indicated that during takeoff, the aircraft accelerated to about 130 knots before decelerating. No engine anomalies were noted in the data. The PFDs and MFD were sent to the NTSB Recorders Laboratory for download of the CMD data.