# NTSB ATL03LA123: Piper PA-32-260, N6JH, Greenville, NC, August 4, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 4, 2003, 13:10 local (17:10 UTC) - Place: Greenville, NC - Coordinates: 35.635276, -77.385276 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.6353&lon=-77.3853&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 28, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Greensboro FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 57667 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL03LA123 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57667/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL03LA123 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control after an aborted landing and subsequent collision with an airport runway sign. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with object, landing - aborted - object - airport sign/marker - Fire, standing - engine(s) operating ## Analysis According to the pilot, on touchdown the airplane veered right. The pilot applied full engine throttle in an attempt to gain altitude and airspeed. The right wing hit a runway sign to the right of runway 26, and at this point the right wing tank was ruptured. The pilot retarded the throttle and attempted to land in the grass on the other side of intersecting runway 20. The airplane slid across the intersection and the right wing caught fire. The airplane came to rest approximately 1000 feet right of the centerline of runway 20. ## Factual narrative On August 4, 2003, at 1310 eastern daylight time, a Piper, PA-32-260, N6JH, owned by Phoenix Flying INC. and operated by a private pilot, collided with an airport sign after an aborted landing at Pitt-Greenville Airport , Greenville, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the private pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight departed Columbus County Airport, in Whiteville, North Carolina, at 1200, on August 4, 2003. According to the pilot, at touchdown on runway 26 the airplane veered right. The pilot applied full engine throttle in an attempt to gain altitude and airspeed. The right wing hit a runway sign to the right of runway 26, and at this point the right wing tank was ruptured. The pilot retarded the throttle and attempted to land in the grass on the other side of intersecting runway 20. The airplane slid across the intersection and the right wing caught fire. The airplane came to rest approximately 1000 feet right of the centerline of runway 20. Examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing had been fire damaged. The right wing had crush damage along approximately 3 feet of its leading edge. Right wing skin was found where the airplane came to rest. The pilot reported that after exiting the airplane the right wing fuel tank exploded. No flight control malfunctions were reported by the pilot. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6JH](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6JH-2019-08-28), registration cancelled 2019-08-28, S/N 32-712, built 1966 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-32-260 - Registry model: [Piper PA-32-260](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32-260) (registry code 7103206) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (registry code 41532, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 32-712 - Airframe hours: 5484.76 - Engines: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 260 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Steven Krpata - Registered owner: Phoenix Flying, INC. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, May 27, 2003, 21.83 hours before - Departed: CPC, Whiteville, NC - Destination: PGV, Greenville, NC - Airport: PGV, Pitt-Greenville Airport, runway 26, 4,997 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review May 30, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 400 total, 200 in this make and model, 340 as pilot in command, 24 in the last 90 days, 21 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 68 °F - Altimeter: 30.03 inHg - Observed at: PGV ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030804017979A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030804017979A), Aug 4, 2003: Piper PA32260, Greenville, NC, Substantial damage. (-23) N6JH (a Piper PA-32-260) piloted by steven krpata (pilot cert. #41462709) on August 4, 2003 while landing on runway 26 at pit-Greenville airport (pgv),… 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. --- 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.