Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain crash, Mar 21, 1980 (7 killed)
Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain accident on March 21, 1980 near Houston-William P. Hobby, Texas, USA, United States with 7 fatalities. Cause: The NTSB...
- Date: March 21, 1980
- Aircraft: Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain
- Location: Houston-William P. Hobby, Texas, USA, United States
- Fatalities: 7
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: The NTSB attributed the accident to a power loss in the right engine for undetermined reasons at a critical point in the takeoff, the aircraft's marginal single-engine performance, and the captain's incorrect emergency response to the engine power loss.
Eagle Commuter Airlines Flight 108, a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain (N59932), was scheduled from Houston Hobby to Brownwood with two crew and eight passengers. Shortly after takeoff from runway 22 at night, the crew reported the loss of the right engine. The aircraft turned away from the runway at low height, crashed on an airport ramp, slid into two aircraft, cars and a hangar, and caught fire. Seven people were killed, and three passengers survived with serious injuries. The NTSB found the aircraft was about 278 lb over its maximum weight.