# NTSB CEN12LA362: Piper PA-38-112, N2510B, Mt. Vernon, MO, June 12, 2012 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 12, 2012, 09:00 local (14:00 UTC) - Place: Mt. Vernon, MO - Coordinates: 36.957221, -93.690551 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.9572&lon=-93.6906&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report July 18, 2013 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 83938 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN12LA362 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/83938/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=83938 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12LA362 ## Probable cause The pilot’s decision to continue the landing on a short grass runway with a tailwind after touching down beyond the touchdown point, and his subsequent failure to stop the airplane before colliding with trees off the end of that runway. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent flight experience. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-38-112, 13 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=7103812), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Experience/qualifications: recent experience](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031035): Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-38-112, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031035/cases.md?model=7103812), [All aircraft, 76 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031035/cases.md) - [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-38-112, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=7103812), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md) - [Wind: tailwind](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034015): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on operation; cases with it: [Piper PA-38-112, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034015/cases.md?model=7103812), [All aircraft, 594 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034015/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-38-112, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=7103812), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot was attempting to land on a grass strip with a tailwind. However, the airplane overshot the approach end of the runway by about 1,000 feet before it touched down; the pilot was unable to stop the airplane before it went off the runway and collided with trees. The pilot was operating without a valid medical certificate, and a review of his logbook revealed that his last logged flight occurred about 8 years before the accident. His most recent biennial flight review was about 19 years before the accident. ## Factual narrative On June 12, 2012, approximately 0900 central daylight time, a Piper PA-38-112 airplane, N2510B, sustained substantial damage when it struck trees while landing near Mt. Vernon, Missouri. The private pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the positioning flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated at the Jerry Sumners Senior Aurora Municipal Airport (2H2), Aurora, Missouri, approximately 0830. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol report, the 85-year-old pilot was attempting to land on a grass field adjacent to his house. The pilot landed with a tailwind and was unable to stop the airplane before it collided with trees at the west end of the runway. The pilot's son stated his father "overshot" the east end of the runway and landed 1,000 feet beyond where he should have touched down. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot recently had his farm hands mow the tall grass to make a landing strip that was approximately 2,500 feet long and aligned east-west. The last 200 feet of the runway sloped downhill. The pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land. His last FAA third class medical was issued in July of 1991. According to the FAA, the pilot had a total of 460 flight hours, all of which, were in the accident airplane. The pilot's last biennial flight review was conducted in April 1993 and his last logged flight occurred in May 2004. Weather at Springfield-Branson National Airport(SGF),Springfield, Missouri, approximately 15 miles northeast of the accident site, was reported as wind from 080 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles and clear skies. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2510B](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2510B-2013-07-09), registration cancelled 2013-07-09, S/N 38-79A0097, built 1978 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-38-112 - Registry model: [Piper PA-38-112](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-38-112) (registry code 7103812) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-235 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (registry code 41505, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 38-79A0097 - Engines: LYCOMING O-235 SERIES 115 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Positioning, Part 91 - Operator: Biellier Dave H - Registered owner: Biellier Dave H - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: 2H2, Aurora, MO - Destination: Mt. Vernon, MO - Airport: None ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 85; injuries: serious; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; flight hours: 425 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 80° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 68 °F, dew point 55 °F - Altimeter: 30.17 inHg - Observed at: SGF, 15 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20120612013119A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120612013119A), Jun 12, 2012: Piper PA-38-112, Mount Vernon, MO, Substantial damage. Repositioning flight was conducted from aurora, MO (2H2) to the pilot's farm on the outskirts of Mount Vernon, MO, under VFR. The PIC directed his farm hands… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 10, 2013, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=83938. 171 KB in all. - Excerpt of FAA Accident/Incident Report (item 1, .PDF, 71 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40383176&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Excerpt%20of%20FAA%20Accident%2FIncident%20Report-Master.PDF - Missouri State Highway Patrol Report (item 2, .PDF, 30 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40383178&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Missouri%20State%20Highway%20Patrol%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Record of Conversation - Pilot's son (item 3, .PDF, 70 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40391772&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Conversation%20-%20Pilot%27s%20son-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.