- Date
- July 4, 2004, 22:30 local (Jul 5, 2004, 03:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rush City, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N55930Piper PA28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- FAA report
- 20040704016809A
- Case key
- 59646
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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions which led to his loss of aircraft control. Factors were the wind gusts, the ditch, and the fence.
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 airplane was damaged when it went off the left side of runway 34 and struck a ditch and a fence. The pilot reported that just before touchdown, the airplane was blown left of the runway centerline and he decided to execute a go-around. He said that as he added power, the airplane touched down and was pulled to the left and off of the runway. He stated that he cut the power and went through a ditch and a barbed wire fence before coming to rest. The winds were recorded as: 360 degrees magnetic at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots.
Factual narrative
On July 4, 2004, about 2230 central daylight time, a Piper PA28-140, N55930, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it struck a fence after it went off the left side of runway 34 (4,400 feet by 75 feet, asphalt), at the Rush City Regional Airport, Rush City, Minnesota. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in night visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. No injuries were reported. The local flight originated about 2200.
The pilot reported that during the landing approach, the airplane experienced gusty winds. He stated that just before touchdown, the airplane was blown left of the runway centerline and he decided to execute a go-around. He said that as he added power, the airplane touched down and was pulled to the left and off of the runway. He stated that he cut the power and went through a ditch and a barbed wire fence before coming to rest.
The winds at 2235 were recorded as: 360 degrees magnetic at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55930
- Reported as
- Piper PA28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7325534
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bruce E. Bjorklund
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KROS · Rush City, MN
- Airport
- KROS · Rush City Regional, runway 34
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 168 total · 56 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- KROS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.