# Accident 19980805025099A: Piper PA28181, West Liberty, KY, August 5, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 5, 1998, 17:00 local time
- Place: West Liberty, KY
- Airport: West Liberty Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Go Round (Aborted VFR)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.9104° N, 83.2601° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.9104&lon=-83.2601&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3023M, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3023M-1999-10-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181
- Reported engine: LYC O360A4M
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 249 total, 130 in this make and model, 7 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC98LA162](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA162) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980805025099A

## Narrative

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

ON AUGUST 5, 1998, ABOUT 1700 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-28-181, N3023M, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AFTER AN ABORTED LANDING AT WEST LIBERTY AIRPORT (913), WEST LIBERTY, KENTUCKY. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT WAS UNINJURED, AND THE PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE FLIGHT BETWEEN BLUE GRASS AIRPORT (LEX), LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, AND WEST LIBERTY.THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE LANDING, THE AIRPLANE DIDN'T TOUCH DOWN WHEN EXPECTED. THE EVENTUALLY GOT THE AIRPLANE ON THE GROUND, BUT FELT IT WAS NOT SLOWING ENOUGH TO STOP ON THE RUNWAY. HE ADDED POWER AND TOOK OFF, BUT ON CLIMB-OUT THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TRES AND CRASHED. THE PILOT WROTE THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. HE STATED HE WAS UNAWARE THAT THE 2,400 FOOT RUNWAY HAD A 1.5% DOWNGRADE, AND THAT HE HAD NEVER LANDED ON A RUNWAY WITH A DOWNSLOPE BEFORE. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE "HADN'T APPRECIATED THE EFFECT THE SLOPE WOULD HAVE ON BRAKING". (-23) ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1998, MR. DAVID J. LANG ALONG WITH PASSENGER                   DENNIS CHANEY DEPARTED BLUEGRASS FIELD LEXINGTON (LEX) AT APPROXIMATELY 4:25 PM AND FLEW DIRECTO TO THE WEST LIBERTY, KENTUCKY AIRPORT (9I3) ARRIVING AROUND 5:00 PM EST. MR. LANG OVER FLEW THE FIELD TO CONFIRM WIND SOCK DIRECTION (LIGHT WINDS OUT OF THE WEST) AND THEN ENTERED THE LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 25. MR. LANG EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY SETTING THE AIRCRAFT DOWN DUE IMPART BY THE AIR SPEED AND 1.5% DOWNWARD SLOPE OF THE RUNWAY. AFTER REALIZING THE LANDING WAS LONG, AND THE AIRCRAFT COULD NOT BE STOPPED IN TIME, A GO-AROUND WAS EXECUTED. THE AIRCRAFT TOPPED BRUSH, FLEW OVER AN EMBANKMENT BEYOND THE AIRPORT BOUNDARY AND STRUCK A HOUSE WITH THE RIGHT WING'S LEADING EDGE. THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED UPSIDE-DOWN CRASHING THROUGH A SMALL TREE AND CHILD'S PLAYHOUSE AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. MR. LANG RECEIVED A MINOR CUT ON HIS INDEX FINGER. MR. CHANEY RECEIVED A CUT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HIS HEAD, WHICH REQUIRED STITCHES AND A SCRAPE TO HIS RIGHT ARM. HE WAS HOSPITALIZED OVERNIGHT FOR TESTS WHICH SHOWED NO FURTHER INJURIES BEYOND THE CUTS.

## 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 NYC98LA162](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA162), Aug 5, 1998: Piper PA-28-181 (N3023M), West Liberty, KY, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate planning for a downslope landing. A factor was the pilot's lack of training for downslope landing situations.

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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