# Accident 19970524011989A: Piper PA28161, Bridgeport, TX, May 24, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 24, 1997, 17:30 local time
- Place: Bridgeport, TX
- Airport: Bridgeport Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Aborted (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.1994° N, 97.7494° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.1994&lon=-97.7494&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8351R, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8351R-2015-05-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-161 (registry code 7102803, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28161
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 167 total, 35 in this make and model, 53 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA203](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA203) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970524011989A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT APPROACH HGIH AND FAST. BEGAN GO AROUND THEN ABORTED. LANDED LAST FEW FT RUNWAY. OVERRAN INTO FENCE AND TREES (-23) ON MAY 24, 1997, AT APPROXIMATELY 5:30 PM CDT, A PIPER PA-28-161, N8351R, RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING LANDING AT BRIDGEPORT, TX. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 35 WAS TOO HIGH AND TOO FAST. SHE FURTHER STATED THAT, AFTER ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON RUNWAY 35, SHE REALIZED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE IT. SHE THEN ATTEMPTED TO GO-AROUND. THEN SHE CHANGED HER MIND AND LANDED ON THE LAST FEW FEET OF REMAINING RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED OFF THE END OF RUNWAY 35 AND INTO A BARBED WIRE FENCE AND TREES. THE SURFACE WIND WAS FAVORING RUNWAY 17 AT THE TIME OF THIS ACCIDENT. HOWEVER, OTHER TRAFFIC WAS ALSO USING RUNWAY 35.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97LA203](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA203), May 24, 1997: Piper PA-28-161 (N8351R), Bridgeport, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's misjudgment of distance and altitude. A contributing factor was a tailwind.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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