- Date
- April 18, 2008, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Vermillion, SD
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N32394Piper PA-32-260
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Rapid City, SD FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080418839109A
- Case key
- 68071
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 adequately compensate for the crosswind condition. Contributing to the accident were the crosswind and the soft terrain.
Findings · 4
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
The pilot reported the local winds were from 020 degrees at 14 knots when he landed. He stated that after touching down, the wind pushed the airplane off the left side of the runway. The nose gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest when it contacted an area of grass and soft sand. The pilot reported that he did not use enough rudder to compensate for the wind.
Factual narrative
On April 18, 2008, at 1130 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32-260, N32394, experienced a loss of control while landing on runway 30 (4,105 feet by 75 feet, concrete) at the Davidson Airport, Vermillion, South Dakota. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage to the firewall and left wing. The 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Rapid City, South Dakota, at 0805 mountain daylight time.
The pilot reported the local winds were from 020 degrees at 14 knots when he landed. He stated that after touching down, the wind pushed the airplane off the left side of the runway. The nose gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest when it contacted an area of grass and soft sand. The pilot reported he did not use enough rudder to compensate for the wind.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N32394
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7500005
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- K and F Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- RAP · Rapid City, SD
- Destination
- Vermillion, SD
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 202 total · 38 in this make and model · 175 as pilot in command · 64 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft overcast
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.