ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 280697
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| Date: | Friday 22 July 2022 |
| Time: | 18:45 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-235 Cherokee |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N8542W |
| MSN: | 28-10043 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1963 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Elm Creek Airpark (0TX6), Seguin, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Elm Creek Airpark, TX (0TX6) |
| Natchitoches Regional Airport, LA (KIER) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On July 22, 2022, about 1845 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-235 airplane, N8542W, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Seguin, Texas. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal cross-country flight
The pilot departed from a grass strip for a personal cross-country flight with a passenger. Radar data and the location of the accident site indicate the airplane made a left turn after takeoff and descended into trees, coming to rest about ¼ mile from the airport. The data also showed the airplane’s airspeed decreased after takeoff. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postimpact fire.
The day before the accident flight, a resident of the airpark reported that the accident airplane had stopped near their residence located near the departure end of runway 14. The pilot had said to the resident that his cowling had opened and that he needed to secure it before taking off. The airplane departed a few minutes later and returned to the airport about 45 minutes later. On the day of the accident, the passenger reported to a friend during a video chat that the pilot had trouble starting the engine before the flight and the friend could see that the engine cowling was open. In addition, photos of the airplane taken during its takeoff roll showed that the right aft edge of the engine cowling was not flush with the fuselage.
Given the recurring problem with the cowling latch, it is likely the latch was not properly secured during the preflight, which allowed it to open during the flight. The pilot likely became distracted with the opened engine cowling, which then led to a loss of control inflight.
Toxicology testing revealed that the pilot had used cannabis, but whether he was experiencing effects of the drug at the time of the accident could not be determined. The potentially sedating antihistamine cetirizine was also detected in the pilot, but testing was unable to determine if it was at therapeutic levels and therefore more likely to cause any side effects. Thus, this investigation was unable to determine if effects from the pilot’s use of cannabis and cetirizine were a factor in this accident.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at a low altitude after being distracted when the engine cowling opened during flight, which led to a loss of control and subsequent impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot to conduct an adequate preflight inspection.
Accident investigation:
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|
Sources:
https://seguingazette.com/alert/article_12339680-0a2d-11ed-994c-df86533261d7.html
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105551
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
The NTSB is investigating the crash Friday of a Piper PA28-235 in Seguin, Texas.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) July 23, 2022
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Jul-2022 12:58 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 23-Jul-2022 18:53 | Geno | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Embed code] |
| 25-Jul-2022 15:39 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Jul-2022 15:56 | AgOps | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 11-Aug-2022 21:31 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 26-Apr-2024 23:24 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
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