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20040818023809I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-23-250 · Topeka, KS · August 18, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 18, 2004 · 05:35 local
Place
Topeka, KS
Airport
Philip Billard Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
To Aborted (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N521EE
Reported as
Piper PA23250
Reported engine
Lycoming TIO540*
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
579 total238 in this make and model124 in the last 90 days
N521EERegistered now · Piper PA-23-250S/N 27-7954067 · Built 1979Airframe modelPiper PA-23-250Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) A takeoff was attempted from runway 18 at Topeka, KS phillip Billard airport (top) before the tower opened and about one hour before sunup. The aircraft ran off the left side of the runway just after crossing the intersecting runway 13-32. The pilot said that he had activated the airport lighting system on the CTAF with as he remembers, 5 clicks on his transmitter. The person that was at the FBO that morning thinks that he activated the lights on his radio that morning and remembers the taxiway light were on as the aircraft left the ramp. When the airplane returned to the ramp after running off the runway, the person at the FBO said that he thought the taxiway lights were off. The lights on runway 13-31 are on all night on medium intensity. All other lights are pilot controlled on CTAF. It appears that the pilot controlled lights timed out and when this aircraft crossed the lighted runway 13-31 intersection, there were no more lights to determine his position on the runway. After the airplane went off the runway into the grass, the pilot tried to get back on the runway and struck the runway 18 VASI lights. The left wing and the left prop were damaged.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) A TAKEOFF WAS ATTEMPTED FROM RUNWAY 18 AT TOPEKA, KS PHILLIP BILLARD AIRPORT (TOP) BEFORE THE TOWER OPENED AND ABOUT ONE HOUR BEFORE SUNUP. THE AIRCRAFT RAN OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY JUST AFTER CROSSING THE INTERSECTING RUNWAY 13-32. THE PILOT SAID THAT HE HAD ACTIVATED THE AIRPORT LIGHTING SYSTEM ON THE CTAF WITH AS HE REMEMBERS, 5 CLICKS ON HIS TRANSMITTER. THE PERSON THAT WAS AT THE FBO THAT MORNING THINKS THAT HE ACTIVATED THE LIGHTS ON HIS RADIO THAT MORNING AND REMEMBERS THE TAXIWAY LIGHT WERE ON AS THE AIRCRAFT LEFT THE RAMP. WHEN THE AIRPLANE RETURNED TO THE RAMP AFTER RUNNING OFF THE RUNWAY, THE PERSON AT THE FBO SAID THAT HE THOUGHT THE TAXIWAY LIGHTS WERE OFF. THE LIGHTS ON RUNWAY 13-31 ARE ON ALL NIGHT ON MEDIUM INTENSITY. ALL OTHER LIGHTS ARE PILOT CONTROLLED ON CTAF. IT APPEARS THAT THE PILOT CONTROLLED LIGHTS TIMED OUT AND WHEN THIS AIRCRAFT CROSSED THE LIGHTED RUNWAY 13-31 INTERSECTION, THERE WERE NO MORE LIGHTS TO DETERMINE HIS POSITION ON THE RUNWAY. AFTER THE AIRPLANE WENT OFF THE RUNWAY INTO THE GRASS, THE PILOT TRIED TO GET BACK ON THE RUNWAY AND STRUCK THE RUNWAY 18 VASI LIGHTS. THE LEFT WING AND THE LEFT PROP WERE DAMAGED.