# Accident 20031012030459A: Piper PA28180, Dover/Cheswold, DE, October 12, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 12, 2003, 19:05 local time
- Place: Dover/Cheswold, DE
- Airport: Delaware Airpark Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.2183° N, 75.5964° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.2183&lon=-75.5964&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5320L, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5320L-2004-03-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28180
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 1,428 total, 283 in this make and model, 4 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC04LA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC04LA007) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031012030459A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON OCTOBER 12, 2003 AT 7:05 PM, A PA-28, N5320L, S/N 28-4623, OPERATING UNDER 14 CFR FAR PART 91 FLIGHT RULES, STRUCK A POWER LINE POLE APPROXIMATELY 1350 FT. SHORT OF RUNWAY 27 AT DELAWARE AIRPORT, DE (33N). THE HEIGHT OF THE POWER LINE POLE WAS 54 FT. AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE POLE AT 46 FT. THE DISTANCE FROM THE RUNWAY INCLUDES A 350 FT. DISPLACED THRESHOLD AT THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 27. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND 100 FT. WEST OF THE POWER LINE POLE, AND WAS DESTROYED. THE PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES AND THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. A NOTAM WAS ISSUED ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2003, FOR THE HAZARD/OBSTRUCTION LIGHTS ATTACHED TO THE POWER LINE POLES BEING INOPERATIVE. THIS ACCIDENT REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION. ACCIDENT REPORT WILL BE AMENDED UPON RECEIPT AND REVIEW OF ATC TAPES.

## 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 NYC04LA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC04LA007), Oct 12, 2003: Piper PA-28-180 (N5320L), Cheswold, DE, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain a proper glide path to the runway, and his failure to maintain obstacle clearance which resulted in an in-flight collision with an unlit utility pole. Factors related…

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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