<strong>Pilot</strong> Pointers It Should Not Happen to You <strong>Comanche</strong> Accidents for June 2006 and a Case by Omri Talmon, ICS #7949 <strong>Comanche</strong> Accidents, June 2006 6.1 Make/Model: PA24 Date: 06/17/2006 Location: Houghton Lake, Mich. Description: Aircraft landed gear up. One person on board, no injuries. Damage: Substantial 6.2 Make/Model: PA24 Date: 06/16/2006 Location: Mammoth Lakes, Calif. Description: Aircraft on takeoff, crashed <strong>und</strong>er unknown circumstances. Two persons on board, no injuries. Damage: Unknown 6.3 Make/Model: PA24 Date: 06/20/2006 Location: Wilkesboro, N.C. Description: Aircraft crashed <strong>und</strong>er unknown circumstances. One person on board, fatally injured. Damage: Unknown 6.4 Make/Model: PA24 Date: 06/26/2006 Location: Perry, Fla. Description: Aircraft landed gear up. Four people on board, no injuries. Damage: Substantial A Case Accident occurred Wednesday, February 5, 2003 in Halstead, Kan. Aircraft: Piper PA24-180 Injuries: Two uninjured. <strong>The</strong> aircraft was flown by a private pilot who was receiving <strong>Comanche</strong> familiarization and a checkout from a flight instructor. It was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff. <strong>The</strong>y had been doing air work and touch and goes at other airports in the area and upon return to Halstead, they landed to the south and taxied back to the departure end of the runway. According to the instructor, the wind was light and out of the south, as it had been all afternoon. A soft field technique was employed on the accident takeoff and the full runway length was used. <strong>The</strong> instructor stated, “Just over half way down [the] runway – normal acceleration degraded. We were past abort point and due to dangerous road area elected to fly,” although the aircraft was “behind the power curve.” After liftoff, the aircraft did not level out very much and was at a relatively high-pitch attitude. Initially the aircraft climbed to approximately 40 feet above gro<strong>und</strong> level. However, it settled lower and was “bobbling” in and out of gro<strong>und</strong> effect as they approached the end of the runway. Due to an inability to climb, they were forced to fly <strong>und</strong>er a set of power lines at the end of the runway. <strong>The</strong> power lines ran along a roadway, which bordered the south side of the airport. <strong>The</strong> instructor said they “could not accelerate” and were “unable to climb.” A decision was made to cut the power, and impact (landing) was made before reaching more obstructions (trees). Upon exiting the aircraft, he noted that the wind was now from the north. Both pilots indicated there were no problems with the aircraft or engine. <strong>The</strong> FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, concerning soft field takeoffs, states: “After becoming airborne, the nose should be lowered very gently with the wheels clear of the surface to allow the airplane to accelerate … an attempt to climb prematurely or too steeply may cause the airplane to settle back to the surface as a result of losing the benefit of gro<strong>und</strong> effect.” <strong>The</strong> National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: Failure by the flight crew to execute an aborted takeoff when acceleration degraded and the improper soft field takeoff procedure as flown by the private pilot. Contributing factors were inadequate supervision by the flight instructor and the tailwind encountered on takeoff. Narrative On February 5, 2003 at 1715 Central Standard Time, a Piper PA-24-180 <strong>Comanche</strong>, piloted by a flight instructor and dual student, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from runway 17 (2,640 feet x 150 feet, turf) at the Halstead Airport (SN05), Halstead, Kan. <strong>The</strong> dual student was a private pilot receiving a complex aircraft checkout and <strong>Comanche</strong> familiarization. <strong>The</strong> instructional flight was conducted <strong>und</strong>er the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and was not on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. <strong>The</strong> flight instructor and dual student reported no injuries. According to the flight instructor’s statement, the flight originally departed Halstead Airport early on the afternoon of the accident. He noted that they had completed air work, and touch and goes at Hutchison (HUT) and Kingman (9K8). <strong>The</strong>y departed Kingman at 1635 to return to Halstead. Continued on Page 20 18 • <strong>Comanche</strong> Flyer SEPTEMBER 2006
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