Piper PA-24-250 | N6852P

The DTSB determines the Probable Cause of this accident to be Pilot Error, in that the accident pilot did attempt an aggressive left turn after takeoff in order to return to the airport, due to the left fuel cap not being in place after re fueling. The accident pilot mishandled the abnormal, whereupon that accident aircraft became fully stalled, and did impact nearly vertical just off the departure end of runway 15. From the NTSB Preliminary witness report: “After the airplane crossed over the departure end of runway 15, he watched the landing gear come back down, then saw the airplane bank left and he thought the pilot was trying to return to the runway.” Airport security video showed the pilot fuel the plane and fail to secure the left fuel cap and fuel door. Upon starting, the fuel cap was observed to fall off the left wing and the fuel door was seen flapping during taxi.

The DTSB recommends that all pilots of all aircraft rehearse and condition themselves to maintain wings level, and not attempt an immediate return during any in-flight abnormal scenario that presents itself after liftoff. The missing fuel cap was not a crisis and there was no need for an immediate turn. The DTSB also recommends that all pilots of all aircraft commit to a final walkaround preflight, circling the aircraft one last time to look for chocks, fuel caps, doors, fuel doors, cowling latches, loose seatbelts etc. before boarding.