Piper PA-32 accident near Obyan, USA

On November 18, 2012, a Piper PA-32 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Obyan, USA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

November 18, 2012

Place

Obyan, USA

Aircraft

Piper PA-32 · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 5 serious, 1 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

15.120°N, 145.730°E

NTSB ID

20121119X10642

Official records · WPR13LA045

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• ATC Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Radio Communications Audio File: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• FAA ATC Package Excerpts: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 19, 2012, about 0618 local time (2018 November 18 Universal Coordinated Time), a Piper PA-32-300, N4267R, was destroyed when it impacted airport terrain during an attempted turnback immediately after takeoff from Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport (PGSN), Obyan, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory. One passenger sustained fatal injuries, the pilot and four passengers sustained serious injuries, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The on-demand charter flight was operated by Star Marianas Air, Inc. (SMA), under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Dawn visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight plan was filed for the flight. According to a representative of the airline, the airline typically shuttled tourists between Saipan and Tinian, an island about 10 minutes' flying time south of Saipan. The passengers on the accident flight included five Chinese nationals and one Filipino national, and the flight was destined for Tinian. According to information from the FAA and Serco, the PGSN air traffic control tower (ATCT) service provider, the pilot first contacted the ATCT at 0604, requesting taxi clearance. The flight was instructed to taxi to the end of runway 7, and was cleared for takeoff about 4 minutes later. About 4 minutes after takeoff, the pilot radioed the ATCT that he wanted to "come back in for an immediate landing if possible." About 3 minutes later, the airplane landed uneventfully on runway 7, and exited the runwa

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power shortly after takeoff for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation and the pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during the unsuccessful attempt to return for landing on the airport. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to conduct his second ta

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Browse: United States · Piper aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.