N8320RPiper PA-28-140 · 1966

On December 4, 2010, approximately 1245 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-140, N8320R, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain and a fence while attempting to land at Ponca City Municipal Airport (PNC), Ponca City, Oklahoma. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger was fatally injured. The flight originated at Seminole (H45), Oklahoma, approximately 1115.

According to the passenger's father, his son and the pilot were flying to Ponca City to have lunch. A lineman saw the airplane approaching runway 35, but turned away and did not see the accident. According to television news reports, there was one eyewitness. Efforts to contact the witness were unsuccessful, but he stated on camera that he was headed to work and was approaching the intersection of Ash and Hartford. He saw the bottom of the plane facing him and it rolled inverted and crashed. Emergency personnel received the 9-1-1 call at 1247.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the scene said he found evidence that the airplane landed on runway 35 and bounced.

The pilot, age 30, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. He also held a third class airman medical certificate, dated January 14, 2009, with no restrictions or limitations. His last flight review was dated April 23, 2009, when he took the private pilot practical test.

The pilot's logbook was made available for inspection. The logbook contained entries from December 20, 2008, through November 27, 2010. According to the logbook, the pilot soloed in a Cessna 172 on February 14, 2009, and was issued his private pilot certificate on April 23, 2009. The pilot began flying the Piper PA-28-140 on August 28, 2010.

In addition to the pilot's logbook, a copy of the airplane's daily flight record was made available for inspection. The entries coincided with those in the pilot's logbook, and contained two additional entries: a flight made on the day of the accident for 0.6 hours, and the accident flight. The Hobbs Meter reading prior to the accident flight was 467.2. The Hobbs Meter reading at the accident site was 468.7, a difference of 1.5 hours. Combining these two documents, the following represents the pilot's flight time (in hours):

Total time: 132.8

Pilot-in-Command/Solo: 95.3

Cessna 172: 92.1

Piper PA-28-140: 40.7

Night: 3.8

Simulated Instrument: 3.6

Actual Instruments: 0.5

Cross-country: 24.8

Total Flight Instruction Received: 42.8

Flight Instruction Received, PA-28-140: 2.2

The student pilot-passenger, age 23, did not hold a pilot certificate. He applied for medical certification in January 2003, and on September 8, 2010. FAA sent him a letter on October 18, 2010, requesting additional medical information. When he did not respond, FAA issued a letter of denial on December 2, 2010. On the two medical certificate applications, he estimated his flight time to be 11.7 hours and 25 hours, respectively.

N8320R (serial number 28-22191) was manufactured by the Piper Aircraft Corporation in 1966. It was powered by a Lycoming 0-320-E2A engine (serial number L-17391-27A), upgraded to 160 horsepower, driving a Sensenich 2-blade, all metal, fixed pitch propeller (model number M74DM).

According to the maintenance records, annual and 100-hour inspections were completed on July 19, 2010. At that time, the tachometer read 5,477 hours, and the engine had accrued 584 hours since it was overhauled on October 8, 2001.

The following weather was reported at Ponca City (PNC):

PNC (1253): Wind, 350 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 21 knots; visibility, 10 miles; sky condition, clear; temperature, 7 degrees Celcius (C.); dew point, 4 degrees C.; altimeter setting, 30.33 inches of Mercury.

Evidence found at the scene indicated the airplane struck the ground with its left wing, separating it from the fuselage. The airplane became inverted and skidded across the grass median and taxiway, and collided with a chain link fence.

Photographs taken of the airplane's instrument panel disclosed the following:

Airspeed Indicator - 0

Directional Gyro - 169 Degrees

Turn & Slip - Left bank (2x standard rate turn)

Vertical Speed - 100 FPM Down

Altimeter - Approximately 1,000 Feet

Tachometer - 0; 5,514:30 hours

Hobbs Meter - 468.7

Clock - 1:07 (stopped)

Magnetos - Both

Throttle - Full forward

Carburetor Heat - 1/2" Out

Boost Pump - On

Transponder - 1200 (Mode C)

ADF - 278 KHz (Off)

Cabin Heat - Off

Cabin Air - Off

Master Switch - Off

Primer - In and Locked

Flaps - 2nd Notch (25 Degrees)

Control continuity was established, and no anomalies were noted.

According to the Ponca City fire chief, his personnel were unable to determine seating positions of the occupants: the passenger was halfway out of the shattered left cabin window, and the pilot was laying on top of him. The chief said neither seatbelt was fastened, and neither seatbelt had been cut.

The pilot was airlifted by medevac helicopter to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries. He was later tranferred to a rehabilitation hospital. Toxicology testing was not performed.

The student pilot-passenger was transported by ambulance to the Ponca City Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries. According to the autopsy report, death was attributed to Multiple blunt force trauma.

According to the student pilot-passenger's toxicology report, there was no carbon monoxide or cyanide in the blood, and there was no ethanol in the vitreous humor. Atropine and Lidocaine, however, were detected in the liver and cavity blood. According to the Ponca City fire chief, paramedics did not administer these drugs. According to a spokesperson for the Ponca City Regional Medical Center, both atropine and lidocaine were administered to the patient in a resuscitation attempt.