# Accident 20120217001999A: Piper PA-32R-300, Swainsboro, GA, February 17, 2012 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: February 17, 2012, 19:30 local time - Place: Swainsboro, GA - Airport: Emanual County - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Landing: Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 32.6092° N, 82.3700° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.6092&lon=-82.3700&mi=10 - Aircraft: N47863, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N47863-2019-01-28) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-32R-300 (registry code 7103213, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-300) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-32R-300 - Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER - People aboard: 7 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot - Pilot flight hours: 4,500 total, 300 in this make and model, 100 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA12CA190](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA12CA190) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120217001999A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON FEBRUARY 18, 2012, THIS OFFICE WAS NOTIFIED BY THE REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER (ROC) AT 11:30 AM LOCAL TIME ABOUT AN EVENT INVOLVING A PIPER PA-32-300 AIRCRAFT N47863 AT SWAINSBORO, GA. (KSBO). THIS INSPECTOR WAS CONFERENCED WITH THE AIRPORT MANAGER, ROBERT BAKER AT SWAINSBORO AND TODD GUNTHER OF THE NTSB. ACCORDING TO THE AIRPORT MANAGER THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 31 AT SWAINSBORO AND CAME INTO CONTACT WITH PINE TREES APPROXIMATELY 87 FEET SOUTH OF MCLEOD BRIDGE ROAD (WHICH IS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 1200 FEET FROM THE THRESHOLD OF RUNWAY 31) AND LANDED SAFELY AND TAXIED TO TIE DOWN. IT WAS AGREED BY ALL PARTIES THAT A PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF THE SITE AND AIRCRAFT WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED ON FEBRUARY 21, 2012 BY THIS OFFICE. A PRELIMINARY TELEPHONE INTERVIEW WITH THE PIC, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TOOK PLACE ON SATURDAY AT 1140 AM AND THE PIC WAS REQUESTED TO WRITE A STATEMENT AND STATEMENTS FROM THE OTHER 4 PASSENGERS AS WELL AS A STATEMENT FROM THE AIRCRAFT OWNER AUTHORIZING ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO ACT ON HIS BEHALF AND LEAVE THE STATEMENTS WITH THE AIRPORT MANAGER. THE AIRCRAFT ORIGINATED AT WINTER HAVEN (KGIF) FLORIDA WITH 5 ADULTS AND 2 CHILDREN ONE OF WHICH WAS 1 YEAR OLD. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED AT SWAINSBORO, GA (KSBO AT 1930 LOCAL ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2012. THE TRIP LENGTH WAS APPROXIMATELY 275 NAUTICAL MILES. ACCORDING TO THE PILOTS TELEPHONE INTERVIEW AND THE WRITTEN STATEMENT THE PIC CANCELLED HIS IFR FLIGHT PLAN AT 1920 LOCAL AND LANDED AT SWAINSBORO UTILIZING THE VISUAL APPROACH IN VFR CONDITIONS TO RUNWAY 31 AT NIGHT. THE PIC ENTERED A LEFT BASE FOR RUNWAY 31 AND THE WINDS WERE LIGHT AND VARIABLE. ON SHORT FINAL HE CLIPPED TREES AND CONTINUED TO LAND WITHOUT FURTHER PROBLEMS. ON FEBRUARY 21, 2012 INSPECTORS FROM THIS OFFICE ARRIVED AT SBO AT 1000 AM LOCAL AND WERE MET BY AIRPORT MANAGER ROBERT BARKER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE AREA WHERE THE TRESS WERE CONTACTED WERE EXAMINED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE TOPS OF 2 PINE TREES APPROXIMATELY 70 FEET HIGH WERE CONTACTED AND BRANCHES WERE ON THE GROUND. THESE TREES ARE LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 2000 FEET FROM THE THRESHOLD OF RUNWAY 31 IN LINE WITH THE CENTERLINE OF THE RUNWAY. THERE IS A LOCALIZER ANTENNA APPROXIMATELY .12 MILES FROM THE BEGINNING OF RUNWAY 31 THRESHOLD. THE LOCALIZER ANTENNA IS MARKED WITH RED OBSTRUCTION LIGHTS ON EACH SIDE. DURING A THIRD TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH PIC OSBURN HE COMMENTED THAT HE USED THE RED LIGHTS AS A REFERENCE TO THE RUNWAY END AND THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO HIS LOWER THAN EXPECTED APPROACH. THE ALTIMETER SETTING AS REPORTED BY ASOS AT 1930 LOCAL ON FRIDAY WAS 30.06 INCHES.THE ALTIMETER SETTING IN THE AIRCRAFT WAS SET AT 30.02 DURING OUR INSPECTION. THE AIRPORT ELEVATION IS 328 FEET. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HOLDS AN FAA COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE, MULTI AND SINGLE ENGINE LAND. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAS STATED HE HAS 300 HOUR IN THIS TYPE AIRCRAFT AND REPORTED 4500 HOURS FLIGHT TIME AND 400 IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS. THIS INFORMATION WAS REPORTED AS OF 02/21/2012. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ISSUED -CLASS 2, MEDICAL CERTIFICATE ON 04/20/2011. THE LAST FLIGHT REVIEW WAS 04/23/2011 AS WELL AS THE PROFICIENCY CHK.AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE WEATHER WAS NIGHT VMC, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN FROM WINTER HAVEN FLORIDA TO SWAINSBORO GA. AND WAS CANCELLED AT 1920 LOCAL BY THE PIC.AT APPROXIMATELY 1930 LOCAL, N47863 CONTACTED TREES WHILE LANDING AT SWAINSBORO ON RUNWAY 31. THE AIRCRAFT PASSED THROUGH THE TREES AND SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURE AND FLIGHT CONTROLS. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH OUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE HOBBS METER INDICATED 1362.2 HOURS.A DETAILED EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE FOLLOWING:1. THE PROPELLER HAS INDICATIONS OF CHORD WISE BUFFING AND EVIDENCE OF PINE NEEDLES. THE SPINNER HAS ONE LATERAL SCRATCH. IT APPEARS THAT THE PROPELLER PASSED THROUGH LIGHT CONCENTRATIONS OF PINE NEEDLES.2. THE LEFT WING INBOARD LEADING EDG ## 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 ERA12CA190](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA12CA190), Feb 18, 2012: Piper PA-32R-300 (N47863), Swainsboro, GA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain the proper glidepath during final approach in night visual meteorological conditions, which resulted in a collision with trees. ## Other reports on N47863 (2) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20180125001199A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180125001199A), Jan 25, 2018: Piper PA-32R-300 (N47863), Marathon, FL, Destroyed. Piper pa 32R-300, N47863 with four persons on board. Took off from the Florida Keys Marathon international airport (mth) during the takeoff roll the aircraft… - [Incident 20101001046939I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20101001046939I), Oct 1, 2010: Piper PA-32R-300 (N47863), Swainsboro, GA, Minor damage. During landing rollout on runway 31, aircraft struck a deer with leading edge of right wing. 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.