lexi

A Piper Cherokee Six aircraft carrying six passengers crashed at the Saipan airport last week (Nov. 19) with one fatality. The pilot, the seventh person on board, remains in the Philippine hospital, while the rest of the injured have been released from the hospital.

I would like to ask this forum how safe are small planes like this one and what usually happens in the investigation. Can you enlighten me as to what could have possibly gone wrong in this flight?

As I have disclosed that I work as a journalist, none of the comments posted here will be used unless with permission from the poster.

I welcome your comments to this thread.

Timbo

Well there are any number of things that could have 'gone wrong', but with only one in the hospital, I'm guessing it was some type of hard landing, or maybe slid off the side of the runway. In a "Real Crash" nobody lives, so they were pretty close to the ground, if not on the ground, when things went badly.

And per the name, the Cherokee Six is meant for only 5 passengers, plus the pilot. It says there were 7 on board, unless one (or more) were infants, it sounds like they may have been overloaded, so this may have been a take off misshaph, where the airplane never really got airborne, maybe too heavy or the motor quit just after lift off and they landed in a flat spot. The airplane equivelent of a fender bender.

But the reason they do "Accident Investigations" is to figure it out. From the little information here, it's impossible to say what happened, luckily there are survivors so they'll be able to tell their story.

As far as how safe are little airplanes? It's no different than cars. Depends on the driver. I've been flying little aiplanes my entire life, (age 8-53) never had a crash...yet!

Now that I think of it...I have crahsed about...6 cars. So...little airplanes are MUCH safer than driving!

rickair7777

Well the statistics show that while airlines (in developed countries) are much safer than automobiles, light aircraft flying is actually slightly more dangerous than driving...the numbers are pretty comparable to motorcycle riding.

And like motorcycles there is a WIDE range of variation in safety based on how the flying is conducted and who is doing it. Think Sunday morning cruise up the coast highway vs. commuting in rush hour traffic vs. wide-open throttle up a winding mountain two-lane.

If you wouldn't get on a motorcycle with someone, better not get in a plane they are flying either.

But like you said, all we can tell from this accident is that the arrival was not vertical.

Timbo

I grew up racing motocross, later I bought a BMW R100S motorcycle, which I loved riding on the twisty curvy back roads of the NH White Mountains. My wife loved riding on the back as well, but I had to force her to wear a helmet, she didn't want to mess up her hair!

So one night we are riding back to our apartment, after having dinner at my Mom's house, and we get T-Boned by a drunk driver in a Caddilac while going about 35mph! We were launched over the car, landed on our sides with our heads bouncing like basketballs as we rolled to a stop. The helmets saved our lives, no doubt, and we had on leather jackets and gloves, which kept the road rash to a minimum. We were able to limp out of the road. The bike however did not fare well. My wife was two months pregnant at the time, she ended up having Twins, we always tell people that accident caused the egg to split!

My wife would never get back on it after the $3000 rebuild. As I would get ready for a ride, she would stand in the doorway, one baby in each arm, and say, "Say goodbye to your daddy girls, he would rather get killed riding his motorcycle than be your daddy...." so I ended up selling it. I do miss it, but a motorcycle is no match for a drunk in a Caddilac!

I get to witness an auto accident on nearly very drive to work in the traffic around Disney World and Sea World. Thank God those people don't fly airplanes!

Twin Wasp

There are 7 seat Cherokee Sixes. There could be any of a hundred reasons. What will happen is the FAA and since a fare paying passenger was killed, most likely the NTSB, will investigate. This will be very frustrating for you as a journalist and for the family of the dead passenger because all they will say is the investigation is progressing. They will check everything. I've flown off SPN, the weather there is perfect unless there is a typhoon but they'll check the weather at the time of the accident. They'll take the engine from the plane and have it "torn down" to see if there is any sign of malfunction. They'll collect fuel from the airplane's fuel system if they can and check for contamination. They'll check the maintenance records and program at SM. Since they are a new airline they may go back to the prior owner of the aircraft and check their maintenance program. If the pilot lives they'll interview him. They'll check his training records and the training program at SM. Again since it is a new operator, they may talk to the pilot's prior employer or where he got his training. And they will check the "weight and balance" of the airplane. The plane has a maximum weight it can carry. But that weight also to be balanced forth and aft sort of like a playground see-saw. They'll check all of this and not tell you anything more than "The investigation is proceeding."

Like I said, it could have been any of a hundred things. The door could have popped open and the pilot panicked. They could have hit bird. All of that being said since it was the first flight of the day and I'm not the NTSB, I'd lean towards a maintenance issue or water in fuel (Did it rain the night before? Water can leak into the fuel tank and just about the time you start the takeoff the engine gets water and not gas. They'll check the condition of the seals on the fuel caps.) Or since it was a full flight a weight and balance issue.

And you asked if small planes are safe. They are as safe as the pilot and operator/airline make them.

Saipan Tribune

lexi

Thank you for your responses.

Initially, the information I gathered was that the female passenger, the fatality, suffered burns. She was seated next to the pilot. The pilot had skull fracture, was flown to the Philippines, had surgery, is currently stable/OK.

The other passengers had been released from the hospital.

Yes, the plane had seven on board: six passengers and one pilot.

According to unconfirmed report, prior to the pilot losing consciousness, he was mumbling about fire in the fuel line.

Of course, we will get to find out about the real score once the NTSB/FAA releases the report which may happen months from now.

I appreciate your comments and thank you for enlightening me on this topic. It sure is a great help to subscribe to this forum especially fro someone like me who is covering such events with no background whatsoever on aviation.

Thank you :-)

N9373M

the incident will eventually show up here. It can take several weeks before the preliminary info is published, and years for the probable cause to be released.

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lexi

Thank you. I appreciate your comment.

ATCsaidDoWhat

General aviation aircraft...and the Cherokee 6 in particular (which I have a fair amount of experience in) are very safe. There are a multitude of factors that come into play; in this case that the pilot survived will be of great help in determining that cause.

The fuel injection system on the "6" is extremely reliable. A fuel line fire could be possible at any number of points along the system. Best to wait for his statement and the investigation; hopefully he can shed important light on the event.

lexi

Is there anyone here who would like to be quoted re safety of cherokee sixes? Share your experience in flying thus aircraft and its reliability. Please PM me or email me at [email protected] if you would like your statements to be on the record. Please include name, job title and flight hours :-) Thanks :-)