Piper PA-32-260 accident near St. Clair, MO
On April 8, 1995, a Piper PA-32-260 (airplane) was involved in an accident near St. Clair, MO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 8, 1995
- Place
- St. Clair, MO
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.299°N, 90.820°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X03258
NTSB summary
On April 8, 1995, at 1629 central daylight time (cdt), a Piper PA32-260, N3631W, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed during a collision with the ground and subsequent fire shortly after takeoff from runway 02 (3,200' x 60' dry asphalt) at the St. Clair Regional Airport, St. Clair, Missouri. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot received fatal injuries. The flight departed St. Clair, Missouri, at 1629 cdt. One witness had been in the airplane during an earlier takeoff attempt. He stated the propeller did not cycle the first time when the pilot was doing the engine runup and propeller check. He said it cycled the second time and the runup was continued to conclusion. The witness said the airplane would not accelerate above 80 knots on takeoff. "I shouted: 'Let's abort,' and immediately took over the controls and brought the plane to a stop 40 feet from the end of the 3200 foot runway." After deplaning the witness said he told the pilot to have the airplane checked by a mechanic. He said the pilot told him he would have that done. Shortly after the conversation with the pilot the witness said the pilot taxied the airplane to the runway and took off. He stated the airplane "...rose no higher than 15 feet [after liftoff] then dropped to 10 feet. When he turned left to avoid the trees, I saw the airplane go into a left spin... ." The airport manager stated he washed and parked the pilot's airplane on the day of the accident. Later in the day the pilot arrived a
Probable cause
the pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to drugs which led to his operating the airplane with a known mechanical deficiency.
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Browse: Missouri · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
