Plane down in Atlanta

sad story

any thoughts on cause? refueling stop, plane had no issues before, then crashes on takeoff.

 

Horrible. I thought from the first stories that they must have been killed on impact, but not so sure after seeing the plane as caught by these bystanders. I sure hope it was instant....we know folks that knew them in Asheville, one saw then the night before. No one gets up in the morning thinking todays the day I die in a horrific accident. If there is something to learn from this, I want to know it. I have heard that you cannot overload a Cherokee 6, which is basically what this is right? These looked to be big guys, but one female and one dog. Just horrible, the worst. I cannot imagine the young man thinking today's my day. My family will be here soon to see me cross the stage and get my diploma. Only to be pulled aside and told his family was killed in a plane crash

 

My opinion (and it's truly just that...a WAG) is W&B issues. Takeoff with extra passenger(s) and refuel for longer leg of the trip.

 

An aft CG (out of limits) can easily make an airplane impossible to control.

 

My guess- refuled with jet a. Another website i was reading dismissed w&b.

 

interesting. would there be any external signs (engine sputtering, smoke, etc) if that were the case? I haven't heard any reports of that.

 

I would imagine that overweight and aft CG would have had an affect at take off and brought the airplane down much before it gained much altitude. I have experienced this but not in an aircraft as large as a Cherokee 6, not as severe but serious and required delicate control inputs. I have wondered why the airplane made contact on the highway 90 deg. to the direction of the road. Possibly because it was uncontrollable at that point. Engine not developing power after take off to me is a strong reason for the descent and lack of maneuverability. Just guessing, don't know much about this stuff now.

 

Check this out about mixing jet and avgas. I was always told you could determine the mistake by sumping but it appears to be not so.

Avgas and Jet A Contamination Results - Pilots of America Message Board

 

Here is the thread on the crash on Pilots of America

PA32 down out of PDK - Pilots of America Message Board

 

I'm actually more interested in why he was unable to land the plane on the highway.

 

lots of things to speculate that could go wrong, the FAA will eventually get to the bottom of it... my vote goes to over gross and bad cg... four pas, dog and who knows how much baggage weight, then topping off at PDK puts it outside the avg payload... the reference to hitting the median wall head on... it is the reverse course to the take off runway and the airport enviornment.. only a couple more seconds away from crash site and a chance to a better outcome... engine ( to me ) was making power, 3 blades fully bent, then sheared from the engine found away from wreckage, it takes a lot of power to separate a prop...

 

He tried to land on the highway and hit a bridge.

 

haven't seen that observation, don't see how that would fit with where the impact was, most interviews had the plane crossing the hwy at the point of impact... indicating his direction of travel was back to PDK... the investigators will sort through it, for a reasonable conclusion

 

I assumed he hit a bridge or a mast arm, but haven't seen that reported.

 

just watched news footage of the crash site on local news tonight... I stand corrected... road signage ( for west bound traffic ) indicates the crash site was on the east bound side of the x-way, crossing the road outbound from takeoff runway... essentially straight ahead from airport... the investigators will get it correct

 

The plane was just beyond the median barrier, so maybe it hit the barrier and flipped over?

 

https://www.facebook.com/christopher.diaz.7399/videos/10204125153555361/?__mref=message_bubble

Passerby video on facebook moments after it hit.

 

That's the unfortunate video that made me wonder if someone may have been conscious. The passenger compartment appears somewhat intact.

 

From the pilots of America site/thread:

This is one of those things that happens occasionally and we just hope we are not associated with it. I have known the pilot of this plane for a few years. A great guy. I flew in this plane with him about a year ago and talked about buying it from him. With two other gents, I bought an identical '77 Lance instead.

We all hope to hear how this happened. The report can't come fast enough. We want the family to know and we want to know so that we can protect ourselves and our families.
Talking with a mutual friend this past weekend who also has a '77 Lance, we surmised a powerplant issue (mechanical or fuel) at the exact wrong time and place. If he had full fuel with the passengers and luggage, he was close to max weight. We have seem more carried though in the same plane. It would be hard to have the CG out. You can get too far forward with two on board and full fuel as someone mentioned. It's very hard to get too far aft.

In the end, we mourn for the family. We still go back out and fly. It's what we love to do and it's how we "live" life. It's how we choose to experience life and it's what Greg did. We do everything we can to make sure we are safe (even more so when our family is in the plane). We pray for the family and pray that we are never associated with another one of these event.
Code90 is online now

 

It's not reported. It's just my guess as PDK is my "home drone" and I live just down from the crash site.

Seems to me he was going to land on 141 North but the 285 bridge ended up being in the way.

I may be wrong. Waiting for the NTSB report.

 

The link in the OP states that he clipped a semi-truck just prior to impact. Whether or not that had an effect on him hitting the median barrier is not known.

 

Yeah. That'll do it. Not many options when gliding.

 

they were probably killed on impact

 

police dash cam video released: Dash-cam video shows officer heading to fiery I-285 plane crash | www.ajc.com