Piper PA-60 Aerostar (Ted Smith 600)

On May 3, 1999, at an unknown time before 2300 Bangkok, Thailand, local time, a Piper PA-60-602P, N602PK, crashed on an air rally flight between Calcutta, India, and Bangkok. The German national pilot was confirmed to have been fatally injured, and his German national passenger was reported missing at the accident scene. The crash site was at the Srinakarin Reservoir, Tambon Tha Chalab, Srisawat district in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok. The airplane was reported to have been due to land at Bangkok's Don Muang airport at 2300 local time on May 3. Adverse weather was reported in the vicinity at the time of the accident. There was no report of an ELT actuation.

After takeoff while over the departure end of the runway, deep gray colored smoke was observed by the tower controller trailing the right engine. The pilot was alerted of this and advised the controller the flight was returning. Witnesses reported seeing smoke trailing the right engine and that the airplane rolled to the left, pitched nose down, impacted trees, and then the ground. A fatigue crack was detected in the exhaust aft of the No. 6 cylinder of the right engine; and incomplete fusion of a weld repair was also noted. Heat damaged components from the right engine were replaced and the engine was started and found to operate normally. A foreign object of undetermined origin was found in the intake area of the No. 3 cylinder. Analysis of the voice tape revealed both engines/propellers were operating near full rated rpm when the pilot acknowledged the transmission that smoke was trailing the right engine, one engine/propeller rpm then decreased to about 2,160 rpm. Examination of the flight controls revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Flap positions at impact could not be determined. Calculations indicate that the airplane was approximately 55 pounds over the maximum certificated takeoff weight at takeoff.

The airplane departed at night after maintenance was performed on the left engine. The pilot attempted to return to the airport and while on base leg struck the ground inverted and nose down. The left engine propeller was found feathered. On the left engine, the # 5 cylinder was off the engine and the # 5 piston with the connecting rod still attached were found nearby. Interviews revealed that during maintenance, the # 1,3,5,and 6 cylinders had been removed and reinstalled; however, the # 5 cylinder had not been tightened. Several people had worked on the airplane at various stages of the work. The maintenance facility did not have a system to pass down what had been accomplished, and the FAA did not require the tracking of work accomplished in other than 14 CFR Part 121, or 14 CFR Part 145 facilities.

The twin-engine Aerostar departed on Runway 1. While on initial climb, after take-off, witnesses observed the airplane roll to the left until it became inverted, after which the nose dropped and the airplane impacted the ground in a near vertical nose down attitude. The fuselage was consumed with a post crash fire. On-site examination revealed the wing flaps and landing gear were retracted. No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction was found relating to the airplane, engines, or propellers. The investigation revealed that both propellers were rotating and absorbing power at the time of impact. The winds were reported from 360 degrees at 17 knots, with gusts to 25 knots.

The twin engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances while approaching Erfurt-Weimar Airport. The wreckage was found 3 km from the airport. All four occupants were killed, three Swiss and one German.

The airplane was over gross weight at takeoff but within Weight and Balance at the time of the accident. Witnesses observed the airplane flying low with the landing gear retracted over a wooded area then observed the airplane bank to the left and pitch down. The airplane then pitched nose up and entered what was described as a flat spin to the left. The airplane descended and impacted the ground upright with the landing gear retracted and the flaps symmetrically extended 6 degrees. Examination of the flight control systems, and engines revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. A cabin door ajar indicating light was not illuminated at impact but the gear warning light was illuminated at impact. The pilot recently purchased the aircraft and only accumulated a total of 1 hour 23 minutes during 6 training flights. He accumulated an additional 3 hours 37 minutes after completion of the training flights while flying with other qualified pilots. The accident flight was the first flight in the make and model while flying with no other multiengine-rated pilot aboard.

After making a localizer runway 08 approach, the pilot landed over halfway down the 4,422 feet wet runway. He then decided to abort the landing, added power, and when airborne, retracted the landing gear. He said he asked the right front seat (non-rated) passenger to reset the flaps (to 20°). The pilot saw trees ahead, and realized the airplane was not going to clear the obstacles, though full power was applied. Just before impact, he pulled back on the elevator control to soften the impact, rather than hitting the trees nose first. After the accident, the wing flaps were found in the retracted position. A passenger was killed and three other occupants were seriously injured.

The airplane was on a positioning flight at night, cruising at 6,000 feet. Also, the pilot was operating on an IFR flight plan and was on his 6th flight after reporting for duty at 1530 est. During a frequency change and radio check at 0207 est, the pilot's response was normal. Radar data revealed that about 16 minutes later, the airplane entered a right turn, then disappeared from radar at about 0222 est after about 255° of turn. It impacted the ground in a steep nose down descent; debris from the airplane was found down to 6 feet below the surface. During the final 15 minutes of flight, there were no radio transmissions on the assigned frequency. No preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction was found. The propeller blades had s-curves or were bent forward; they also had leading edge impact damage and Rotational scoring. The pilot had flown in excess of 120 hours (110 hrs at night) in the preceding 30 days. There was evidence that he may have lacked crew rest during the day(s) before the accident.

As the airplane approached 22,000 feet, the pilot reported that both engines stopped running within seconds of each other. During the emergency landing approach the airplane collided with trees. Onscene investigation revealed no mechanical anomalies with the engines. The fuel system was empty, other than traces of fuel found in the left and right engine's fuel injector servos and flow dividers. Both wing fuel tank caps o-rings were hardened and had flat spots on them. The caps' opening tabs were able to be opened at 8 and 3 lbs of force, respectively. The company holding the airplane's type certificate states an opening force of 16 lbs of force is required. The company's annual inspection checklist requires that the tabs be checked. No record of this being accomplished was found in the airframe logbook. The pilot operating handbook states that the fuel cap tab tension must be checked during the preflight inspection.