- Date
- May 28, 1989, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Crandon, WI
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4734LPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890528020579A
- Case key
- 14359
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
Improper inflight planning/decision by the pilot which resulted in loss of control & subsequent wingtip collision with the ground during the landing. The crosswind and turbulence were contributing 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 plt rprtd that as he was landing, the acft encountered wind that was swirling below treetop level. Subsequently, the acft struck the ground with the left wing tip & departed the left side of the rwy. Aprx 23 mi northwest at rhinelander, WI, the 1450 CDT wind was from 230 deg at 10 KTS. The plt estimated the wind at Crandon was from the south at 20 gusting 25 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4734L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-4060
- Airframe hours
- 1,960
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Clendenning, Gary
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1989 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- UES · Waukesha, WI
- Destination
- YSS
- Airport
- YSS · Crandon Muni, runway 11, 3,100 × 75 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 10 in this make and model · 35 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RHI, 23 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.