PA24 down KAFP

"As emergency crews with the Wadesboro Fire Department and Anson County Emergency Services arrived to the scene, they located the aircraft, a newly purchased Piper PA-24 Comanche, in a wooded area already fully engulfed in flames."
 
eman1200 said:
"As emergency crews with the Wadesboro Fire Department and Anson County Emergency Services arrived to the scene, they located the aircraft, a newly purchased Piper PA-24 Comanche, in a wooded area already fully engulfed in flames."
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Newly purchased is getting to be to much of a common denominator in these things.
 
luvflyin said:
Newly purchased is getting to be to much of a common denominator in these things.
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unfortunately in these crazy times and seller's market, a few bad eggs can be passed off to unsuspecting people and there's no way a general pre-buy inspection is going to catch everything.

so far all we know* is it was newly purchased and they stopped there for fuel. fuel sales have been stopped there for now, I'm assuming they have to check it for water/contamination but AFP is my go-to place for fuel, never sumped a drop of water out of there, although that doesn't mean much. we also don't know the circumstances behind any impossible turn, they could have been high enough and didn't do it properly or maybe not. they also could have stall/spun the plane and maybe that looked like a turn back. from the fbo/ramp to where they went down is far enough that looks can be deceiving.

*we only know this stuff coming from local media, so who really knows.
 
Sad.. the loss of life sucks.

"engine trouble"
..I hate that phrase..

Also sad (in a different way) that we're slowly losing classics to accidents
 
eman1200 said:
unfortunately in these crazy times and seller's market, a few bad eggs can be passed off to unsuspecting people and there's no way a general pre-buy inspection is going to catch everything.

so far all we know* is it was newly purchased and they stopped there for fuel. fuel sales have been stopped there for now, I'm assuming they have to check it for water/contamination but AFP is my go-to place for fuel, never sumped a drop of water out of there, although that doesn't mean much. we also don't know the circumstances behind any impossible turn, they could have been high enough and didn't do it properly or maybe not. they also could have stall/spun the plane and maybe that looked like a turn back. from the fbo/ramp to where they went down is far enough that looks can be deceiving.

*we only know this stuff coming from local media, so who really knows.
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Yeah. On the newly purchased thing there just seems to be a lot of them. Bad airplanes doesn't seem to be the causes. It's folk not getting familiar with their new hot rod. I ain't keeping statistics but it just seems to be happening to often. Ain't saying it's the case here.
 
If the stories are accurate, the combination of pilot unfamiliarity with a newly purchased aircraft, engine failure, and an attempted return to the takeoff runway represented a challenge that would have been difficult for most any pilot.

Fate conspires against us, and often wins in such a situation.
 
I've been in and out of Anson County many times. They have cheap self serve fuel and an ILS that attracts many students from the busy Charlotte NC area. Unfortunately most of the terrain around the airport is wooded and very little open fields. Not many options if the engine sputters after takeoff.
 
luvflyin said:
Yeah. On the newly purchased thing there just seems to be a lot of them. Bad airplanes doesn't seem to be the causes. It's folk not getting familiar with their new hot rod. I ain't keeping statistics but it just seems to be happening to often. Ain't saying it's the case here.
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This is a big thing. I have a Twin Comanche in pieces in a hangar that two wannabe airline pilots were flying but somehow didn't manage to learn that it is not like a Seminole which only has one tank in each wing. The Twinkie has two. They took off on the aux tanks, decided to stop for fuel, landed on the aux tanks, filled the mains, took off on the aux tanks, flamed out and put it in a field with full mains. Hopefully their next check ride is a private again.
 
Kristin said:
This is a big thing. I have a Twin Comanche in pieces in a hangar that two wannabe airline pilots were flying but somehow didn't manage to learn that it is not like a Seminole which only has one tank in each wing. The Twinkie has two. They took off on the aux tanks, decided to stop for fuel, landed on the aux tanks, filled the mains, took off on the aux tanks, flamed out and put it in a field with full mains. Hopefully their next check ride is a private again.
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Like, YOUR twin Comanche?
 
Kristin said:
Yes! It is like my Twin Comanche. All Twin Comanches are like all other Twin Comanches. And it is like my Twin Comanche as I am half owner of the salvage. When it is flying again, I will be half owner until someone decides to buy her.
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so like, did your plane end up in a field and you didn't start a thread on it or like did I just miss it? like, what's the deal?
 
eman1200 said:
so like, did your plane end up in a field and you didn't start a thread on it or like did I just miss it? like, what's the deal?
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Why would I start a thread on an airplane I didn't yet own? I bought the salvage.
 
Eman's like was a valley girl like not a comparitive like.

"Was, like, that, like, your twin comanche that, like, ended up, like, crashed?"

Redact the likes for the actual question.
 
Steve Costello said:
As much publicity as there has been about the "impossible turn" it's pretty amazing how many pilots continue to attempt it.
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Yeah, my instructor showed me when it could be done, back in the day, as I was too conservative for him in my decisions. Still am.
 
EdFred said:
Eman's like was a valley girl like not a comparitive like.

"Was, like, that, like, your twin comanche that, like, ended up, like, crashed?"

Redact the likes for the actual question.
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Didn't know we had anyone that young here. I am an old Midwesterner and was taught a reasonably direct form of the English language.
 
Kristin said:
Didn't know we had anyone that young here. I am an old Midwesterner and was taught a reasonably direct form of the English language.
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Emann seems to be a pretty good guy. I think he was just funnin’ you.
 
Kristin said:
Didn't know we had anyone that young here. I am an old Midwesterner and was taught a reasonably direct form of the English language.
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Then maybe you should stay away from the entire southern portion of the US.
 
kyleb said:
Emann seems to be a pretty good guy. I think he was just funnin’ you.
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I didn’t think it was all that difficult to figure out, with the comma and all caps YOUR but looks like I was wrong.
 
Pure speculation on newly purchased...

When I purchased my 250, I made the mistake of taking off without checking the trim position after doing some short field work. Coming from a Cherokee, being out of trim nose up was no big deal, all it takes to overcome is a little extra push. Full nose up, full power in a PA-24, it takes some real muscle before you crank in the correction. If you don't identify the problem and act quickly, I can see how it could be very easy to get slow. Never made that mistake again.

RIP
 
Capngrog said:
By "southern portion", do you mean the portion of the U.S. to which denizens of the northern portion are fleeing in droves?

Cheers, y'all,
Grog
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I left the northern portion of the lower 48, 30 years ago and have not looked back...:rolleyes:
 
eman1200 said:
Then maybe you should stay away from the entire southern portion of the US.
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It has been 35 years since I lived in the South. Have they all started to do that "like" stuff down there. I did hear that Californians were moving to AZ and TX, so maybe they are having a bad influence.
 
Chip Sylverne said:
Pure speculation on newly purchased...

When I purchased my 250, I made the mistake of taking off without checking the trim position after doing some short field work. Coming from a Cherokee, being out of trim nose up was no big deal, all it takes to overcome is a little extra push. Full nose up, full power in a PA-24, it takes some real muscle before you crank in the correction. If you don't identify the problem and act quickly, I can see how it could be very easy to get slow. Never made that mistake again.

RIP
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When you say "I made the mistake of taking off without checking the trim position after doing some short field work", do you mean you forgot to check and/or reset the trim before taking off? Thanks
 
P51P28 said:
When you say "I made the mistake of taking off without checking the trim position after doing some short field work", do you mean you forgot to check and/or reset the trim before taking off? Thanks
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Yes, sad to say. The real mistake was not using the checklist. Survived, obviously, but it was an eye opener.
 
EdFred said:
Eman's like was a valley girl like not a comparitive like.

"Was, like, that, like, your twin comanche that, like, ended up, like, crashed?"

Redact the likes for the actual question.
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Last week I received a steroid injection in my left hip. I underwent general anesthesia for the procedure. A couple of nurses rolled the bed from the prep room to the operating room, and it took less than three minutes for the trip.

The nurses were chatting as they prepared to roll me. Before we got out of the prep room, one of them had said "like" more than a few times, so I started counting. By the time we got to the OR, she had uttered the word 26 times.

I was like, amazed by her repetition of the word every seven or eight seconds in that short amount of time.
 
3393RP said:
Last week I received a steroid injection in my left hip. I underwent general anesthesia for the procedure. A couple of nurses rolled the bed from the prep room to the operating room, and it took less than three minutes for the trip.

The nurses were chatting as they prepared to roll me. Before we got out of the prep room, one of them had said "like" more than a few times, so I started counting. By the time we got to the OR, she had uttered the word 26 times.

I was like, amazed by her repetition of the word every seven or eight seconds in that short amount of time.
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I like, liked this post.

also it amazes me that someone has never heard that kind of talk before and has to have it explained to them (although in fairness I'm just hearing of putting fritos in chili for the first time...). I mean, I heard "reckon" and "fixin" before I moved to the south. I'm familiar with odd uses of the english language (can reckon/fixin be considered part of the english language?) I just only choose to use these terms because they're funny. I guess to me, anyways, I reckon. like, totally.
 
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also, since no one else posted (I figured edfred would'a done it by now)

 
American English is quite an unusual language. You might enjoy "The Mother Tongue by. Bill Bryson.
 
eman1200 said:
unfortunately in these crazy times and seller's market, a few bad eggs can be passed off to unsuspecting people and there's no way a general pre-buy inspection is going to catch everything.

so far all we know* is it was newly purchased and they stopped there for fuel. fuel sales have been stopped there for now, I'm assuming they have to check it for water/contamination but AFP is my go-to place for fuel, never sumped a drop of water out of there, although that doesn't mean much. we also don't know the circumstances behind any impossible turn, they could have been high enough and didn't do it properly or maybe not. they also could have stall/spun the plane and maybe that looked like a turn back. from the fbo/ramp to where they went down is far enough that looks can be deceiving.

*we only know this stuff coming from local media, so who really knows.
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This airplane sat at a local grass strip near my home for about 20 years since it was last flown.

I looked at this aircraft about 6 months ago to try and determine the serial number on the crankshaft for the new owner at that time. I told the owner that IMO, this aircraft was a major rebuild project...the fuel system had been left dry for years...rubber bladders were bone dry...all hoses and other components were in need of replacement, not to mention that the condition of the engine and accessories were suspect. All systems needed overhaul. It looked rough and needed a lot of work.

The airplane was sold recently to a new owner from Florida, and I understand he and his IA were here in NC working to get the plane back to Florida. The plane was flown from High Point, NC to Wadesboro, NC ,(Anson County Airport), and 50 gallons of fuel were purchased.

I was told that after takeoff, engine problems surfaced and the impossible turn resulted in a stall spin to the ground.

My heart goes out to the families of the victims of the crash...very sad indeed !
 
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Doug Reid said:
This airplane sat at a local grass strip near my home for about 20 years since it was last flown.

I looked at this aircraft about 6 months ago to try and determine the serial number on the crankshaft for the new owner at that time. I told the owner that IMO, this aircraft was a major rebuild project...the fuel system had been left dry for years...rubber bladders were bone dry...all hoses and other components were in need of replacement, not to mention that the condition of the engine and accessories were suspect. All systems needed overhaul. It looked rough and needed a lot of work.

The airplane was sold recently to a new owner from Florida, and I understand he and his IA were here in NC working to get the plane back to Florida. The plane was flown from High Point, NC to Wadesboro, NC ,(Anson County Airport), and 50 gallons of fuel were purchased.

I was told that aftertakeoff, engine problems surfaced and the impossible turn resulted in a stall spin to the ground.

My heart goes out to the families of the victims of the crash...very sad indeed !
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I wonder if any information/details you have would be helpful to the investigation.....
 
The previous owner has been contacted by the authorities already. He told me most of what I related in my post. I can only attest to what I saw a few months ago when I looked at the aircraft.

I used to he a paramedic in my younger days...this stuff still makes me sick to my stomach.
 
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