CHI97LA262

Factual narrative

On August 16, 1997, at 1909 central daylight time (cdt), a Piper PA-32R-301, N8147B, operated by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when on takeoff, the airplane departed controlled flight and impacted the terrain. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. The pilot received minor injuries. Two of the passengers on board received minor injuries. The third passenger on board was not injured. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. In a telephone interview, the pilot said that they had just taken off and were "approximately 20 to 25 feet in the air when the engine rpm dropped from 2,700 to 400. As the airspeed decreased through 70 knots, the airplane began to roll to the left." The pilot kept the nose of the airplane up, and leveled the wings. "As the airplane began to settle, the rpm zoomed to 700. The airplane touched down and then bounced back into the air." The pilot said that they were about half-way down the runway at the time the airplane bounced. The airplane was about 20 feet above the ground when the rpm dropped to zero and the left wing dropped again. The pilot again leveled the wings. The airplane had drifted off of the left side of the runway. The pilot said that he decided to touch down in the dirt along-side the runway. "The airplane touched down hard and then slid for a short distance." The passenger in the right front seat said that "after a short takeoff roll, [the] plane went up, then came down and hit the ground, bounced up, then climbed, and [then] went down very fast left wing first." The passenger in the left rear seat of the airplane said that during the takeoff, there was a vibration felt in the back of the airplane. She called to the front that "something was wrong with the plane." The passenger said she felt a second vibration in the back. "I screamed to the pilot again as [the] motor sounded like a bucket of bolts being shook up." The passenger in the right rear seat said that it was loud when they took off. "In the back seat we were vibrating and seemed very rough." The passenger said that the airplane "went in the air, came down and hit, then went back up, and came down. We hit really hard." A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the wreckage at the site. The airplane's lower engine cowling was crushed upward and broken outward. One of the engine mounts was broken. All three propeller blades were bent aft along the engine cowling. The nose gear was broken out of the forward wheel well. The airplane's cabin was intact and showed upward crushing. Heavy wrinkles were observed in the cabin wall skin. Both wings were intact and showed minor impact damage to the leading edges. The upper wing skin and supporting structure of both wings, over the wheel wells, were torn open and wrinkled at the main landing gear attach points. The left main landing gear was broken off and separated. The right main landing gear was broken off and remained attached to the airplane structure by the flexible brake line. There were numerous tears and scrapes in the underside fuselage metal. One gouge showed yellow paint marks consistent with that of a runway light. There was a tear in the left side skin of the aft fuselage near the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer. The leading edge of the left horizontal stabilizer was torn open. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the stabilizer trim jackscrew showed 13 threads exposed (5 threads = neutral, 16 threads = full nose up trim). The rudder trim was set at full nose left. Examination of the engine, engine controls and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies. The pilot said that they had just taken off and were 'approximately 20 to 25 feet in the air when the engine rpm dropped from 2,700 to 400.' As the airspeed decreased, the airplane began to roll to the left. The pilot said that he kept the nose of the airplane up, and leveled the wings. 'As the airplane began to settle, the rpm zoomed to 700. The airplane touched down and then bounced back into the air.' The airplane was about 20 feet above the ground when the rpm dropped to zero and the left wing dropped again. The pilot again leveled the wings. By this time the airplane was left of the runway. The pilot decided to land in the dirt along-side the runway. 'The airplane touched down hard and then slid for a short distance.' The passenger in the right front seat said that after a short takeoff roll, the airplane got airborne, came down, bounced back in the air, and then came down very fast hitting left wing first. The passenger in the right rear seat said that it was loud when they took off and that the airplane was vibrating and seemed very rough. Examination of the airplane's stabilizer trim showed an almost full nose up trim setting. The rudder trim was set at full nose left. No other anomalies were revealed with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12