N6785PPiper PA-24-250 · 1960

On December 13, 2018, at 1044 central standard time, a Piper PA24-250 airplane, N6785P, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Valparaiso, Indiana. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Witnesses, including a flight instructor, reported seeing the accident airplane take off from runway 9. When the airplane was a few hundred feet above the runway, the right wing dropped; the airplane entered a spin to the right and subsequently impacted the ground.

Surveillance video captured the final portion of the accident sequence. The airplane could be seen entering the frame of the video in a right bank. The airplane then entered a spin to the right, which continued until it impacted the ground in a near-vertical attitude.

The airplane impacted the ground about 3,700 ft east of the approach end of runway 9 and 250 ft south of the runway centerline. The airplane was facing east and displayed crushing of the forward fuselage and the leading edges of both wings. There was wrinkling of the fuselage skin aft of the cabin. The wings and tail surfaces remained attached to the fuselage and all control surfaces remained attached. Examination of the airplane after its removal from the site revealed that all control system cables were intact from the cockpit controls to their respective control surfaces.

Examination of the engine confirmed compression and suction on the forward 4 cylinders. The aft 2 cylinders did not initially produce compression due to impact damage to the rocker arm pushrods. Removal of the rocker arms allowed the valves to close and resulted in compression and suction on the aft 2 cylinders. Crankshaft, valve train, and accessory gear continuity were confirmed during rotation of the engine. Both magnetos were broken loose from the engine accessory case and one magneto produced spark on all leads when rotated. The second magneto did not produce spark, but was impact damaged. Disassembly of the magneto confirmed that the impact fractured the ignition points' pivot block. The carburetor was fractured and the bowl was broken open; disassembly did not reveal any preimpact anomalies. The mechanical fuel pump was fractured and could not be tested, but disassembly revealed no preimpact anomalies.

The airplane was equipped with four fuel tanks. Each wing had a rubber bladder-type main fuel tank and a tip-mounted tank. All four fuel tanks were ruptured and no fuel remained. No fuel odor was detected at the site; however, it was raining during the initial on-scene examination. The fuel selector valve was found positioned to the right main fuel tank and the handle was in the corresponding detent. The two electric fuel pumps were removed from the airframe; both pumps pumped a liquid when electrical power was supplied.

According to the autopsy performed by Pathologix Private Autopsy Services, Valparaiso, Indiana, the pilot's cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma.

Toxicology testing performed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for all substances.

The flight instructor reported that, during landing, while the student pilot was flying, the airplane ballooned. He added that he took the flight controls and landed on the runway.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.

The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.