# Accident 19981014034679A: Piper PA32RT300T, Vidalia, GA, October 14, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 14, 1998, 12:30 local time
- Place: Vidalia, GA
- Airport: Vidalia Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.2093° N, 82.3999° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.2093&lon=-82.3999&mi=10
- Aircraft: N39525, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N39525) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32RT-300T (registry code 7103216, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32rt-300t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA32RT300T
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 800 total, 800 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA99LA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA009) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981014034679A

## Narrative

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

ON OCTOBER 14, 1998 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:45 AM, PIPER AIRCRAFT N39525 LANDED IN VIDALIA, GEORGIA ON "CLOSED" RUNWAY 24. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED, THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR HIT A SMALL "ORANGE AND WHITE COLORED BARRIER." THE AIRCRAFT LEFT LANDING GEAR FOLDED UNDER THE AIRCRAFT, THE LEFT WING CONTACTED THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED OFF THE RUNWAY ON TO THE GRASS. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE LEFT SIDE OF RUNWAY 24, AFT OF THE INTERSECTION WITH RUNWAY 13/31. AN INSPECTION OF THE RUNWAY REVEALED THAT LARGE "YELLOW XS" WERE IN PLACE AT THE ENDS OF RUNWAY 24/6. THE YELLOW XS WERE HELD IN PLACE WITH SAND BAGS. SOME SAND HAD MIGRATED FROM THE SAND BAGS ONTO THE YELLOW XS. ADDITIONAL BARRIERS WERE ON RUNWAY 24/6 AT THE INTERSECTION OF RUNWAY 13/31 TO KEEP TRAFFIC FROM TURNING ON THE CLOSED RUNWAY. THESE BARRIERS WERE WRAPPED IN A ORANGE AND WHITE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL. THE BARRIERS ALSO HAD YELLOW BLINKING LIGHTS ATTACHED TO THE TOP OF THE BARRIERS. THE YELLOW BLINKING LIGHTS ARE ONLY ACTIVATED AT NIGHT. THE CLOSED RUNWAY WAS PROPERLY MARKED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION MANUAL, CHAPTER 2, AS PER THE ATTACHED SHEETS. ADDITIONALLY, THE HEADINGS MARKINGS (24) OF RUNWAY 24 WERE OBLITERATED. ONLY THE TOP PORTION OF THE "4" WAS VISIBLE. NEW CONCRETE WAS POURED IN THE SECTION OF THE RUNWAY WHICH CONTAINED THE "2".

## 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 MIA99LA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA009), Oct 14, 1998: Piper PA-32RT (N39525), Vidalia, GA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate preflight planning by which he failed to obtain NOTAM information, and his failure to identify an hazardous/unsafe condition on the runway.

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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