Piper PA-28-140 accident near Guntersville, AL
On June 18, 2011, a Piper PA-28-140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Guntersville, AL. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 18, 2011
- Place
- Guntersville, AL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.389°N, 86.270°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110618X25841
Official records · ERA11FA348
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 18, 2011, about 0950 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N1803T, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and the ground following a takeoff from Guntersville Municipal Airport – Joe Starnes Field (8A1), Guntersville, Alabama. The intended destination was Destin/Ft. Walton Beach Airport (DTS), Destin, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The certificated private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured, and one passenger was seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated at Lebanon Municipal Airport (M54), Lebanon, Tennessee, earlier in the day. The flight landed at 8A1, refueled, and was departing for DTS at the time of the accident. According to records obtained from a fixed base operator at 8A1, the airplane had received 35.8 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel. According to several eyewitnesses, the airplane was observed becoming airborne about two-thirds of the way down the departure runway. It then pitched up to a nose high attitude, leveled, pitched up again to approximately the same pitch attitude, and subsequently appeared to have a "high sink rate" when the airplane descended behind a tree line. One of the eyewitnesses stated that the airplane was approximately 35-40 feet above ground level and that the pitch attitude was between 20 and 35 degrees. Another witness reported seeing the airplane come over the tree line behind his residence, impact the ground in a nose low attitude, and tw
Probable cause
The pilot's excessive pitch attitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall during the takeoff initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to comply with weight and balance limitations.
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Browse: Alabama · 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.
