- Date
- May 11, 2006, 18:10 local (23:10 UTC)
- Place
- Dongola, IL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8585YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20060511030899A
- Case key
- 63795
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 intentional maneuver to avoid obstructions at the end of the runway which resulted in the airplane impacting a ditch. The wet grass runway and the ditch were factors.
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 ran off of a grass runway at the private airstrip. The pilot reported that upon arrival at his destination, the winds were strong and out of the north. He stated that he decided to land into the wind even though the runway sloped downhill in this direction. He stated that he performed a slow approach in landing configuration and then went around to execute the landing. He stated that the touchdown was normal and that there was intermittent braking for 1,500 feet. He stated that the braking action was "almost impossible" due to the wet grass runway. He stated that he veered the airplane to the left and off of the runway in order to avoid tree stumps at the departure end. The pilot listed runway 35 length as 2,000 feet and width as 75 feet. The pilot listed no mechanical problems with the airplane. The airplane contacted a ditch along the side of the runway.
Factual narrative
On May 11, 2006, about 1810 central daylight time (cdt), a Piper PA-30, N8585Y, piloted by an airline transport pilot, sustained substantial damage when it ran off of a grass runway at the private airstrip near Dongola, Illinois. The 14 CFR Part 91 business flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. There were no injuries. The flight originated from the Eagle Creek Airpark, Indianapolis, Indiana, about 1615 cdt.
The pilot reported that upon arrival at his destination, the winds were strong and out of the north. He stated that he decided to land into the wind even though the runway sloped downhill in this direction. He stated that he performed a slow approach in landing configuration and then went around to execute the landing. He stated that the touchdown was normal and that there was intermittent braking for 1,500 feet. He stated that the braking action was "almost impossible" due to the wet grass runway. He stated that he veered the airplane to the left and off of the runway in order to avoid tree stumps at the departure end. The pilot listed the runway direction, length and width as 35, 2,000 feet, and 75 feet respectively.
The pilot listed no mechanical problems with the airplane.
The airplane contacted a ditch along the side of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8585Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-1738
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- EYE · Indianapolis, IN
- Destination
- Dongola, IL
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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2004
- Flight hours
- 6,855 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 6,692 as pilot in command · 67 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.