Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601) crash, Jan 16, 2012 (1 killed)
Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601) accident on January 16, 2012 near Philadelphia, Mississippi, United States with 1 fatality. Cause: Left engine...
- Date: January 16, 2012
- Aircraft: Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601)
- Location: Philadelphia, Mississippi, United States
- Fatalities: 1
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Left engine fuel starvation from a fuel selector left out of the on position, followed by the pilot's failure to maintain directional control after the power loss and his failure to feather the left propeller.
A Piper Aerostar took off from Philadelphia, Mississippi after the left fuel selector had apparently not been returned to the on position during the pre-start checks. The left engine lost power on the takeoff roll, the pilot did not feather the propeller, and the aircraft rolled left and struck the ground inverted. A postcrash fire destroyed most of the airframe and the sole pilot was killed.