NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On April 28, 2013, about 1959 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA46-500TP, N2589U, experienced a runway excursion at Bryce Canyon Airport, Bryce, Utah. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot and five passengers were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The cross-country personal flight was departing with a planned destination of Heber City, Utah. Visual meteorological (VMC) conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot reported departing Heber around 1600 for a local sightseeing flight. After flying around about 1 hour, the plan changed to flying to Bryce for dinner.

After dinner, the pilot checked automated terminal information service (ATIS), which showed winds to be insignificant. Looking at the sock on the field, the sock was lying limp, but pointing gently to the east, slightly favoring taking off to the north.

The pilot stated that this airplane normally began to fly itself off the runway about 77 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS), which occurred again at this time. At 80 KIAS, he pulled back as was his normal practice. The airplane left the runway, but would not climb more than about 10 to 20 feet off the runway. The first thought was to land again, so the pilot began pulling power, and then realized that the airplane had drifted left off the runway. At that time, he made the decision to give full power to attempt to climb out of the problem. The airplane was very nose-high at this time, and still drifting left. It cleared the taxiway, at which time the tail struck the ground. The tail continued to drag for a short distance, at which time the fuselage struck the ground, and slid to a stop. There was an immediate engine fire, so the pilot ordered the passengers to get out of the airplane, pulled the emergency fuel cutoff valve, and completed an emergency shutdown procedure. The fire went out in seconds, and there were no injuries.

During an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot reported that the passengers were seated such that the heaviest passengers were in the aft seats. The takeoff rotation was about 3,100 feet down the runway. The nose went to a higher pitch attitude than expected, and the tail felt heavy or "squishy." The pilot reduced the throttle setting to get the nose of the airplane down, but entered a left yaw with the left wing down. Upon reapplying full throttle, the airplane rolled slightly left. At this point, the airplane was over the dirt area between the main runway and the adjacent taxiway. The pilot suspected that the main landing gear dragged at different points with the nose still in a high pitch attitude.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The 48-year-old-pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. The pilot held a third-class medical certificate issued March 19, 2012, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses.

The pilot reported 216 hours, all single-engine land, in a previous logbook. Combining this with submitted logbook excerpts revealed a total time of 417.0 hours single-engine land with 99.1 in make and model.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was a Piper low-wing, single-engine turboprop, serial number 4697513. The Hobbs hour meter indicated a total airframe and engine time of 66 hours.

The engine was a Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6A-42, serial number RM0568.

METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

An aviation routine weather report (METAR) for Bryce (KBCE) issued at 1953 MDT stated: wind from 300 degrees at 7 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky clear; temperature 17/63 degrees C/F; dew point -9/16 degrees C/F; altimeter 30.12 inches of mercury.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

The Airport/ Facility Directory, Southwest U. S., indicated that runway 03 was 7,395 feet long and 75 feet wide. The runway surface was asphalt.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

Investigators from the NTSB, FAA, Piper, and PWC examined the wreckage at Air Transport, Phoenix, Arizona, on July 23, 2013. A full report is contained within the public docket for this accident. The examination revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine.

Propeller

All four propeller blades were secure in the hub. The blades all showed leading edge polishing and chordwise surface scratches. The blades had S-bending along the full span.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Weight and Balance

The pilot stated that weight and balance was done electronically on the G1000 system at the beginning of the flight. The G1000 added fuel weight into the system, and the pilot input passenger and baggage to get total weight. This was done prior to the flight leaving Heber at 5,600 ft. Due to the higher field elevation on the return flight (8,000 ft in Bryce), the pilot chose to only add 200 pounds of fuel.

The airplane held 173 gallons of fuel. The pilot reported that the tanks were 1/2 full when the additional 200 pounds were added. At 6.7 pounds per gallon, this computed to 780 pounds of fuel. Using occupant weights as provided and in the indicated seating arrangement, the total weight computed to be 5,218 pounds.

Piper determined performance parameters for the listed weather conditions. They reported that the Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) listed the normal rotation speed for the Meridian as 82 KIAS for a 0-degree flap configuration at the maximum gross weight of 5,092 pounds. The liftoff speed would have been 85 KIAS. Normal takeoff ground roll would have been 3,150 feet, and 4,800 feet was required to clear a 50-foot obstacle.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to establish the minimum liftoff speed during takeoff with the airplane over its maximum gross weight, which resulted in the airplane’s failure to climb and a subsequent loss of directional control and a runway excursion.