- Date
- June 30, 1996, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Calhoun, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7685KPiper PA-20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960630015719A
- Case key
- 3736
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 maintain directional control during landing.
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 pilot stated that on landing rollout the tail wheel started to vibrate. The airplane veered to the left off the side of the runway, and the landing gear and left wing collided with the terrain. Examination of the tail wheel steering system revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction.
Factual narrative
On June 30, 1996, at 1400 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-20, N7685K was substantially damaged following a collision with terrain during landing rollout near Calhoun, Georgia. Neither the airline transport pilot, nor his passenger were injured in the accident. The aircraft was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed for the local, personal flight. The flight departed Calhoun, Georgia at 1300.
The pilot stated that during landing roll, the tail wheel began to vibrate. The aircraft began to veer off the runway to the left, and he was unable to stop the turn with rudder. The aircraft ran off the side of the runway, and the left main landing gear and left wing were substantially damaged after contacting the rough terrain on the side of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7685K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-507
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jerry W. Lowery
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 10, 1995
- Departed
- CZL
- Airport
- CZL · Tom B. David, runway 35, 4,609 × 35 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
- 47
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,501 total · 250 in this make and model · 4,307 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PDK, 35 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.