N36103Piper PA-32RT-300 · 1978

On August 7, 2012, at 1100 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32RT-300, N36103, impacted terrain during a go-around at Sportsman's World Airport (TA65), Palo Pinto, Texas. The commercial pilot and four passengers were uninjured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The airplane was registered to and operated by an individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed for the flight that departed from Burnet Municipal Airport-Kate Craddock Field (BMQ), Burnet, Texas, and was destined for TA65.

The pilot stated that the airplane was on a 2-mile final when he saw a truck on the right side of runway 16 (4,200 feet by 75 feet, asphalt). He continued the approach and lost sight of truck when the airplane was about 20-50 feet above ground level and over the runway numbers. He said that he never saw the truck cross the runway. The pilot said that he decided to execute a go-around since the truck could cross in front of the airplane during rollout. The pilot applied full power and pitched up to establish a climb. The airplane climbed about 50 feet, struck a tree on the left side of the runway, and started to descend. The pilot kept the airplane flying just above stall speed hoping to gain altitude to avoid hangars that were also on the left side of the runway. The airplane did not impact the hangars and continued to descend until it contacted the ground collapsing the landing gear. The airplane then slid about 20 feet.

The pilot reported that the airplane's ground track during the go-around traversed off the left side of the runway at the first taxiway located about 1,400 feet down runway 16 and continued on a southeasterly track.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The truck or its driver was not located during the course of the investigation by either the FAA inspector or the National Transportation Safety Board Investigator-In-Charge.