- Date
- December 11, 1987, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Richmond Hts, OH
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9494JPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871211081579A
- Case key
- 7688
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt began taking off on rwy 23 with a wind from 160 deg at 13 KTS. The tower ctlr saw the acft turn sharply to the left after lift-off & subsequently impact about 250' left of the rwy. The ctlr said the plt appeared to have 'jerked' the acft off of the rwy, & that it subsequently climbed no higher than about 25 ft AGL. The plt received serious facial injuries drg the acdnt. He later rprtd he had no recollection of the acdnt or of the events immediately preceding it. A post-crash exam of the acft revealed no evidence of any preexisting mech malfunction or failure. An exam of the seat revealed it was securely attached to the seat tracks & that the latch functioned properly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9494J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 283613
- Airframe hours
- 1,650
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William H. Summitt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 6, 1987 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- CGF
- Destination
- 4I3 · Mt. Vernon, OH
- Airport
- CGF · Cuyahoga, runway 23, 5,101 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 152 total · 152 in this make and model · 84 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CGF, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9494J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.