# Accident 19970818044689A: Piper PA28180, Gila, NM, August 18, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 18, 1997, 22:05 local time
- Place: Gila, NM
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.9599° N, 108.5697° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.9599&lon=-108.5697&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9455J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9455J-1997-12-10) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28180
- Reported engine: LYC O320E2A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 165 total, 51 in this make and model, 36 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA315](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA315) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970818044689A

## Narrative

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

TRIED NIGHT TAKEOFF UNLITSTRIP GOT INTO SOFT SPOT. SWERVED INTO YUCCA AND ROCKS. RUPTURED FUEL TANK. BURNED. (-23) PILOT ATTEMPTED TO DEPART FROM AN UNLIT DIRT STRIP AT NIGHT NEAR GILA/RIVERSIDE, NEW MEXICO. PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL ON TAKEOFF (NOT AIRBORNE), STRUCK VEGETATION WHICH PUSHED LEADING EDGE OF LEFT WING BACK INTO LEFT FUEL CELL. LEFT FUEL CELL RUPTURED. AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SEVERE FIRE DAMAGE ON LEFT WING, GEAR, & COCKPIT AREA. PILOT ARRESTED BY NEW MEXICO STATE POLICE & CHARGED WITH DRIVING WHILE UNDER INFLUENCE & OPEN CONTAINER. BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT: 2 TESTS - .203 & .204.

## 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 FTW97LA315](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA315), Aug 19, 1997: Piper PA-28-180 (N9455J), Gila, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol, and his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane, which resulted in a ground swerve, and collision with vegetation…

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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