Piper PA-28RT-201 accident near Prescott, Arizona, December 24, 2001
On December 24, 2001 at about 3:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-28RT-201, registered N3023K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prescott, Arizona (Ernest A. Love Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate removal of snow and ice from the surfaces of the airplane before takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 2001 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · Ernest A. Love Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28RT-201 · all PA-28RT-201s on the register
- Registration
- N3023K · registry record · serial 28R-7918022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff the airplane would not climb and, with insufficient runway remaining to abort the takeoff, the pilot made an intentional gear-up landing at the departure end of the runway. Airport personnel who responded to the scene found most of the wing surfaces were covered with 1/8- to 3/8-inch of snow and ice. The pilot reported that he spent 1.5 hours with a broom and a cloth removing snow and "most of [the] ice" from the fuselage and wings. He also reported there were no mechanical malfunctions and stated "I must assume I hadn't enough lift due to ice particles."
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,729 hours in all; 2,800 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 3,729 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,225 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2001; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ at 3:55 pm
- Destination: SAC Sacramento CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 21L, 7,616 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from PRC, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N3023K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.