Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601) crash, Sep 21, 2005
Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601) accident on September 21, 2005 near Mexia, Texas, United States with no fatalities. Cause: The pilot's failure to...
- Date: September 21, 2005
- Aircraft: Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601)
- Location: Mexia, Texas, United States
- Fatalities: 0
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a barn. Contributing were inadequate preflight planning and high density altitude.
The Aerostar used about three quarters of the runway at Mexia on a hot, high density altitude day with four passengers aboard. After retracting the gear it lost climb performance and collided with a barn. The occupants escaped, but the aircraft burned a few minutes later.