- Date
- October 28, 1989, 16:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Lafayette, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N2412NPiper PA-38
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891028066469A
- Case key
- 8177
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to abort the takeoff, when the airplane began to veer left during the takeoff roll. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to inspect the airplane wheel for damage after it dropped off the runway during taxi.
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
While taxiing for takeoff, pilot allowed left wheel to drop off pavement. During takeoff roll, aircraft veered left, went off the runway and collided with a ditch about 600 feet from the beginning of the takeoff roll. Post-crash examination of the airplane by an FAA certified mechanic revealed the left brake rotor had been damaged when the wheel dropped off the pavement, which caused the brake to drag.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2412N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-79A0829
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2A, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cohutta Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 20, 1989 · 15 hours before
- Airport
- 9A5 · Barwick Lafayette, runway 2, 4,270 × 50 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 84 total · 4 in this make and model · 43 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.