# Incident 20040818023809I: Piper PA23250, Topeka, KS, August 18, 2004

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 18, 2004, 05:35 local time
- Place: Topeka, KS
- Airport: Philip Billard Municipal Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: To Aborted (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.0688° N, 95.6224° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at PHILIP BILLARD MUNI (TOP), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.0688&lon=-95.6224&mi=10
- Aircraft: N521EE, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N521EE) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA23250
- Reported engine: LYC TIO540*
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 579 total, 238 in this make and model, 124 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040818023809I

## Narrative

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

(-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.

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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