Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601) crash, Oct 20, 2002 (3 killed)
Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601) accident on October 20, 2002 near Agua Dulce, California, United States with 3 fatalities. Cause: Pilot's failure...
- Date: October 20, 2002
- Aircraft: Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601)
- Location: Agua Dulce, California, United States
- Fatalities: 3
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed, leading to an inadvertent stall, with the choice of the wrong runway and degraded engines as contributing factors.
A Piper Aerostar took off from a runway rising 1.8 percent at high density altitude. It was seen low and nose-high, then descended into a canyon about 0.7 miles from the runway and burned. The pilot and both passengers died. Post-accident examination found worn camshafts and tappets and rust in one engine's crankshaft.