ATL94LA008

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA-28-161 · Lexington, NC · October 23, 1993

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
October 23, 1993, 14:15 local (18:15 UTC)
Place
Lexington, NC
Injuries
1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N9778CPiper PA-28-161
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report December 2, 1994
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19931023044779A
Case key
3319

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a crosswind landing. A factor was the crosswind condition.

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.

Loss of control - on ground/waterLanding - roll
Weather condition - crosswindFactor
Directional control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
On ground/water collision with objectLanding - roll
Object - airport facility

Analysis

The pilot reported that he landed on runway 8, and that after a few feet of landing roll, a gust of wind lifted the airplane and pushed it off the runway to the left. However, the pilot reported the wind was from 060 degrees at 8 knots. The airplane touched down again at the left edge of the runway. It departed the runway, hit a berm, and became airborne again. Subsequently, the airplane struck a hangar.

Factual narrative

On October 23, 1993, about 1415 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161, N9778C, collided with a hangar during landing at the Lexington Municipal Airport, Lexington, North Carolina. The airplane was operated by Southeast Airmotive Corp., under 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A flight plan was not filed for the solo, cross-country, instructional flight. The student pilot had minor injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Origination of the flight was Charlotte, North Carolina, with an intervening landing at Sanford, North Carolina. The flight departed Sanford at 1330.

The pilot provided the following information: during the landing approach to runway 8 at Lexington, the wind sock was "not fluttering." Just before touchdown the wind was calm. During the landing roll a gust of wind from the right lifted the airplane and blew it to the left. The nose wheel rolled up an incline beside the runway, pitched the nose up, and the airplane bounced into the air. Afterwards, he said, the airplane could not be controlled. The pilot said he had received crosswind landing instruction which consisted of using rudder and aileron to counter the wind and allow it to blow the airplane back to the runway centerline.

Aircraft

Registration
N9778C
Reported as
Piper PA-28-161
Category
Airplane
Serial number
28-7816528
Airframe hours
5,656
Engine
Lycoming O-320-D36, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Registered owner
Southeast Airmotive, Corp.
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · September 10, 1993
Departed
W77 · Sanford, NC
Destination
EXX
Airport
EXX · Lexington Municipal, runway 8, 3,295 × 65 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
38
Certificate
Student
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
53 total · 53 in this make and model · 18 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
90° at 12 knots
Visibility
7 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
64 °F, dew point 36 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
GSO, 25 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 N9778C · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.