# Accident 20021107036279A: Piper PA28181, Fayette, AL, November 7, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 7, 2002, 19:00 local time
- Place: Fayette, AL
- Airport: Richard Arthur Field
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.7167° N, 87.8167° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7167&lon=-87.8167&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8389Y (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181
- Reported engine: LYC O360A1D
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,300 total, 500 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL03LA015](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL03LA015) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021107036279A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON THE NIGHT OF NOVEMBER 7, 2002 AT 1900 CST, A PA-28, N8389Y, CRASHED WHILE LANDING AT RICHARD ARTHUR FIELD, FAYETTE ALABAMA (M95) WITH THE RUNWAY LIGHTS OUT. THE PILOT SAID THAT WHILE CIRCLING THE AIRPORT, HE NOTIFIED FAYETTE POLICE THAT THE RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE OUT. THIRTY MINUTES LATER, THE PILOT WAS INFORMED THAT THE LIGHTS COULDN'T BE FIXED. HE DECIDED TO HAVE THE RUNWAY ILLUMINATED WITH VEHICLE LIGHTS. THE PILOT HAD TWO-WAY RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH GROUND PERSONNEL, AND AFTER FOUR PASSES OVER THE RUNWAY AT 250 AGL, HE DECIDED IT WAS SAFE TO LAND THE AIRPLANE. ON FINAL APPROACH AND PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN THE AIRPLANE VEERED TO THE LEFT OF THE CENTERLINE, AND MADE CONTACT WITH A PICKUP TRUCK, WHICH WAS PARKED THREE FEET OFF OF THE RUNWAY. THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE TRUCK AND SHEARED OFF FROM THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE STARTED TUMBLING AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. THE PILOT RECEIVED NO INJURIES, AND THE AIRPLANE INCURRED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.

## 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 ATL03LA015](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL03LA015), Nov 8, 2002: Piper PA-28-181 (N8389Y), Fayette, AL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's poor inflight decision to land on a non illuminated runway, and the pilot's failure to maintain clearance during an attempted night landing that resulted in an on ground collision with a…

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.