PIPER PA-24

Full Narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 31, 2024, about 1248 central standard time, a Piper PA-24-180 airplane, N5520P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Weedon Field Airport (EUF), Eufaula, Alabama. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The airport Fixed-Base Operator manager saw the pilot on the ramp on the day of the accident and they spoke briefly. She subsequently observed the airplane taxiing for departure but did not see it take off. The next day, a pilot who was taxiing for departure reported that he saw a crashed airplane at the end of runway 18. The wreckage was located about 300 feet from the departure end of the runway.
ADS-B data revealed that the airplane departed from runway 36 and subsequently began a turn back toward the runway. The tracking data ended during the 180° turn. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONNo pilot logbooks were available for review. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe airplane was equipped with two main wing fuel tanks and two wingtip fuel tanks. The main tanks were placarded with a capacity of 30 gallons each and the wingtip tanks were placarded with a capacity of 15 gallons each. The wingtip fuel tanks had been installed in accordance with a supplemental type certificate. The airplane also had two fuel selectors, left and right, each with off, main, and wingtip fuel tank positions selectable.
No maintenance records were available for review. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe airplane was equipped with two main wing fuel tanks and two wingtip fuel tanks. The main tanks were placarded with a capacity of 30 gallons each and the wingtip tanks were placarded with a capacity of 15 gallons each. The wingtip fuel tanks had been installed in accordance with a supplemental type certificate. The airplane also had two fuel selectors, left and right, each with off, main, and wingtip fuel tank positions selectable.
No maintenance records were available for review. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane came to rest oriented on a magnetic heading of about 70°. All primary flight control surfaces remained attached to the airplane. The nose of the airplane was crushed aft to the cockpit and partially separated from the fuselage. Flight control continuity was established for all primary flight control surfaces. The engine and avionics instruments were destroyed by impact. The empennage displayed crush damage and remained partially attached. The horizontal and vertical primary control surfaces remained connected to the empennage and were unremarkable. The wings remained attached to the fuselage and exhibited impact damage.
The fuselage exhibited significant compression on the top of the cabin. The cabin roof separated at the instrument panel and was compressed aft. The firewall was deformed downward and aft, with the engine positioned beneath the instrument panel. The instrument panel, multiple instruments, and flight control columns were damaged, rotated upward and aft, and came to rest approximately 75° nose-down from their original orientation. An area of compression damage was noted on the cabin top just aft of the wing trailing edge, where the fuselage was torn open along the sides and bottom surfaces.
The stabilator remained attached to the empennage. The right side exhibited minor buckling on the top surface and was removed by recovery personnel, while the left side remained intact with no notable damage. The stabilator trim surface remained attached at the hinges. The vertical stabilizer and rudder remained attached to the empennage with no significant damage. Rudder balance weights were intact on the top of the rudder. Stabilator, stabilator trim, and rudder control cables remained attached at the empennage and could be moved by hand from the aft cabin to the empennage. Deformation of the main cabin floor prevented movement of these cables to their respective control interfaces at the control column, rudder pedals, or ceiling-mounted stabilator trim control. Both rudder cables remained attached to the rudder bar. The stabilator trim actuator rod was extended 0.2 inches on the top side of the drum, indicating a mid-range nose-down trim position.
The left wing remained attached to the fuselage and exhibited leading-edge compression along its entire span. Approximately 63 inches of the left aileron separated from the wing, torn near the inboard chord, leaving about 10 inches still attached to the wing and the aileron control rod. The control rod remained connected to the left bellcrank, and both aileron cables were attached to the bellcrank. Distortion of the left wing interior and cabin floor prevented movement of the aileron cables from the bellcrank to the control column. The left flap remained attached at all three hinges but was buckled near mid-span.
The right wing also remained attached to the fuselage and was removed during recovery. Both the right aileron and flap were attached at all hinges, though the right flap control rod was broken. The right aileron could be actuated manually at the wing root by pulling the cables. Buckling was observed on the top surface of the wing just outboard of the fuel filler port and outboard of the flap, with downward bending in the latter area. Distortion of the cabin floor prevented movement of the right aileron cables from the wing root to the control column.
Fuel was observed leaking from the breached fuel system. The left fuel selector was positioned to “OFF” and securely in the detent, while the right fuel selector was positioned to “R MAIN” and also secured in the detent. Using low-pressure air introduced at a breached line forward of the right front pilot seat, approximately 1 ounce of fuel was expelled from the right main tank fuel line at the wing root, and 2–3 ounces from the right tip tank line. Water-detecting paste testing showed no presence of water. Function checks of both fuel selectors using low-pressure air confirmed proper operation.
The left main 30-gallon bladder tank was ruptured during impact and contained no fuel. Its filler cap was secure, with intact and pliable rubber. No hydraulic deformation was observed in the left wing. Air blown through the left tip tank line caused fuel to exit at the inboard end of the left aileron, confirming the main tank breach. Escaping air was audible at the wing root during testing. The right main bladder tank also contained no fuel at the accident site. Its filler cap was secure, with intact and pliable rubber. Testing with low-pressure air confirmed the tank’s integrity. No hydraulic deformation was noted in the right wing.
The left wingtip fuel tank was breached during impact, and its filler cap was not recovered. The right tip tank remained intact with minor impact damage; its filler cap was secure and intact, with pliable rubber. The tank was void of fuel.
The inline screens for both main and tip tanks were clean. The engine-mounted electric fuel pump operated smoothly under both dry and fuel-loaded conditions using a 12-volt source. The internal fuel screen of the pump was clean. Examination of the fuel strainer revealed no fuel, a clean screen, and minor debris in the bottom of the strainer bowl. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences performed an autopsy of the pilot’s remains. According to the autopsy report, his cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma and his manner of death was accident.
Postaccident toxicology testing of specimens collected from the pilot tested positive for Sertraline and Desmethylsertraline. Sertraline is a prescription antidepressant medication of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. Desmethylsertraline is a metabolite of sertraline. Sertraline commonly is used to treat depression, and may also be used to treat a variety of other conditions. Major depression can cause cognitive impairment, particularly of executive function. By contrast, sertraline has low potential to cause cognitive or psychomotor impairment, and may improve such impairment in individuals with major depression. Sertraline’s side effects may include dizziness and drowsiness, and the drug typically carries a warning that users should not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until they know how the drug affects them. A pilot on sertraline (not in combination with other psychiatric drugs) may be considered for FAA medical certification via Special Issuance, depending on evaluation of the individual pilot’s condition and response to treatment. Sertraline was not among the medications reported by the pilot at his last aviation medical examination. TESTS AND RESEARCHFueling records indicated that on January 19, 2024, about 12 days before the accident, the pilot purchased 13.5 gallons of 100LL avgas to top off the main fuel tanks. A subsequent receipt dated January 28, 2024, about 3 days before the accident, showed the pilot added 17.3 gallons of 100LL to the left wingtip tank. No additional fueling records were provided, and no receipts documented any fuel added to the right wingtip tank.
ADS-B flight track data indicated the airplane accrued about 3.95 hours of flight time between the January 19th fueling and the accident flight. According to performance data outlined in the accident airplane’s POH, fuel consumption at normal cruise power settings ranged from about 9.5 to 10.5 gallons per hour. Based on those values, the airplane would have consumed about 37 to 41 gallons of fuel during that period, in addition to any fuel consumed during taxi and takeoff.