- Date
- April 29, 2010, 22:40 local (Apr 30, 2010, 03:40 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4397TPiper PA-28-140
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100430033199A
- Case key
- 75864
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 attain the proper touchdown point which resulted in an overrun.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to a telephone conversation and subsequent written statement submitted by the pilot, during the night landing roll on runway 27 (3,455 feet by 40 feet, asphalt), the pilot was not able to stop the airplane. The airplane impacted a fence and vegetation at the departure end of the runway. The pilot stated that the runway surface was wet at the time of the landing. According to a statement provided to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by the pilot, the airplane touched down adjacent the fuel pumps on the ramp. An examination of the airplane revealed that the left and right wings sustained substantial damage to several ribs and the spars. The fuselage and firewall were wrinkled. An examination of the airplane and its systems, conducted by an FAA airworthiness inspector, revealed no anomalies. Rain was recorded six hours prior to the accident; however, no rain was recorded just prior to the accident. Examination of the pilot's flight records revealed that he was not current for passenger carriage at night.
Factual narrative
According to a telephone conversation and subsequent written statement submitted by the pilot, during the night landing roll on runway 27 (3,455 feet by 40 feet, asphalt), the pilot was not able to stop the airplane. The airplane impacted a fence and vegetation at the departure end of the runway. The pilot stated that the runway surface was wet at the time of the landing. According to a statement provided to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by the pilot, the airplane touched down adjacent the fuel pumps on the ramp. An examination of the airplane revealed that the left and right wings sustained substantial damage to several ribs and the spars. The fuselage and firewall were wrinkled. An examination of the airplane and its systems, conducted by an FAA airworthiness inspector, revealed no anomalies. Rain was recorded six hours prior to the accident; however, no rain was recorded just prior to the accident. Examination of the pilot's flight records revealed that he was not current for passenger carriage at night.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4397T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7225163
- Airframe hours
- 3,327
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 17, 2010
- Departed
- KSGR · Sugar Land, TX
- Destination
- KEYQ · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- KEYQ · Weiser Air Park - Houston, runway 27, 3,455 × 40 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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 8 in this make and model · 24 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.55 inHg
- Observed at
- KDWH, 9 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 26, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.