Piper PA-30 accident near Amarillo, TX
On February 17, 2010, a Piper PA-30 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Amarillo, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 17, 2010
- Place
- Amarillo, TX
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.111°N, 101.741°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100217X01727
Official records · CEN10FA122
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 17, 2010, at 0708 central standard time, a Piper PA-30 twin engine airplane, N8501Y, impacted terrain and a warehouse building at 505 Southwest 47th Street, Amarillo, Texas, shortly after takeoff from Tradewind Airport (TDW), Amarillo, Texas. The business flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The cross-country flight was originating at the time of the accident with Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport (ALM), Alamogordo, New Mexico as the intended destination. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Radar data showed the airplane departed Runway 17 at TDW at 0706 with a transponder code of 1200. On departure the airplane reached an altitude of 900 feet above ground level (AGL) and initially headed to the southwest. About one minute after taking off the airplane began a right turn to the north and the altitude varied between 700 feet AGL and 900 feet AGL. The last radar contact occurred at 0708 at 900 feet AGL in the vicinity of the accident location. There were no recorded voice communications from the pilot. One witness, who was in a parking lot two blocks west of the accident site, saw the airplane flying towards him on a northerly heading at an altitude he estimated to be less than one hundred feet. As the airplane flew over him the airplane pulled up into a steep climb, banked to the right (east), and then descended from his view in a
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to detect water contaminated fuel, which resulted in a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. Contributing to the accident were the worn and loose fuel caps, which allowed water to enter the fuel tanks.
More accidents in TX
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Browse: Texas · 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.
