# Accident 20010404007299A: Piper PA28R180, Lexington, VA, April 4, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 4, 2001, 07:05 local time
- Place: Lexington, VA
- Airport: Private
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.7791° N, 79.4395° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.7791&lon=-79.4395&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4586J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4586J-2015-07-31) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28R-180 (registry code 7102809, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28r-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28R180
- Reported engine: CONT IO360*
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 222 total, 141 in this make and model, 11 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC01LA092](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC01LA092) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010404007299A

## Narrative

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

(-23)PILOT ATTEMPTED TAKE-OFF ON 2,200 FOOT LONG GRASS STRIP AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF RAIN. TAKE-OFF AFTER AIRCRAFT PASSED THE END OF THE RUNWAY.  LEFT WING OF AIRCRAFT STRUCK 6 INCHES SQUARE WOODEN FENCE POST TEARING SKIN OFF THE IWNG AND DAMAGING THE SPAR, AILERON AND ANTI-SERVO TRIM TAB.  AIRCRAFT TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET PAST THE END OF THE RUNWAY INTO AN OPEN FIELD.  THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED.    (.4) THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A TAKEOFF FROM A "SLIGHT UPSLOPE," 2,200-FOOT GRASS STRIP WITH RANDOM LOW SPOTS. THE TAKEOFF WAS ATTEMPTED AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF RAIN, AND THE GROUND WAS STILL SOGGY. AFTER LIFTOFF, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A 6-INCH SQUARE WOODEN FENCE POST AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY, WHICH TORE SKIN OFF A WING, AND DAMAGED THE WING SPAR, AILERON AND ANTI-SERVO TRIM TAB. THE PILOT THEN LANDED THE AIRPLANE AHEAD, IN AN OPEN FIELD, ABOUT 300 FEET BEYOND THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. DURING THE LANDING, THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT. THE OWNERS HANDBOOK STATED THAT TAKEOFFS SHOULD BE MADE WITH FLAPS UP, BUT ONLY PROVIDED TAKEOFF DISTANCE DATA FOR AIRPLANES CONFIGURED WITH FLAPS 25 DEGREES, AND MAXIMUM POWER FROM A PAVED, LEVEL, AND DRY RUNWAY. WINDS WERE ABOUT 70 DEGREES OFF THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE, AT 9 KNOTS.

## 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 NYC01LA092](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC01LA092), Apr 4, 2001: Piper PA-28R-180 (N4586J), Lexington, VA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate compensation for the runway conditions. Factors included the soggy runway conditions, and the lack of available takeoff performance data in the owners manual.

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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