CHI89LA152

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA-28-180 · Watertown, WI · July 29, 1989

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
July 29, 1989, 16:40 local (21:40 UTC)
Place
Watertown, WI
Injuries
4 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N3954RPiper PA-28-180
Weather
Instrument (IMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report July 9, 1990
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19890729025699A
Case key
14392

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

Improper planning/decision by the pilot and his misjudgement of distance and speed during the landing, which resulted in failure to attain a proper touchdown point. Contributing factors were: the weather conditions, the pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), inadequate fuel supply to make a go-around, wet runway with hydroplaning conditions, the fence, the ditch, and the roadway.

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.

In flight encounter with weatherCruise
Planning/decision - improperPilot in commandCause
Weather condition - low ceilingFactor
Weather condition - fogFactor
Weather condition - rainFactor
Vfr flight into imc - continuedPilot in commandFactor
OverrunLanding - roll
Fuel supply - inadequatePilot in commandFactor
Distance - misjudgedPilot in commandCause
Airspeed - excessivePilot in commandCause
Proper touchdown point - not attained
Airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - wetFactor
Aircraft performance,hydroplaning conditionFactor
On ground/water collision with objectLanding
Object - fenceFactor
On ground/water encounter with terrain/waterLanding
Terrain condition - ditchFactor
Terrain condition - roadway/highwayFactor

Analysis

Drg the landing roll, the acft ran off the departure end of the wet rwy & went thru a fence & ditch before coming to a stop on a roadway. The wx conds at the time of the acdnt were described as 'mucky,' with low ceilings (200' to 400'), low visibilities (1 to 1-1/2 mi), & a steady rain. A witness, who saw the acft on short final apch for the rwy, rprtd that it appeared to be too fast. He estimated the acft touched down aprx 600' from the departure end of the 4000' rwy. The 63 yr old VFR plt & the 86 yr old acft owner told witnesses that they did not have enough fuel to go around. An inspn of the fuel tanks revealed about 5 gal of fuel in the left tank, while the right tank was almost empty. The acft owner/right seat passenger was also a rated plt, but she had open heart surgery in late 1988 & no longer held a valid med cert. Aprx 39 mi ese at milwaukee, the 1650 CDT wx was in part: partial obscuration, 3500' broken, visibility 1.5 mi haze & light rain, wind 070 deg at 8 KTS.

Aircraft

Registration
N3954R
Reported as
Piper PA-28-180
Category
Airplane
Serial number
28-7105059
Engine
Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Whyte, Edna G.
Registered owner
Whyte, Edna G
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
DMO · Sedalia, MO
Destination
RYV
Airport
RYV · Watertown, runway 23, 3,965 × 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
63
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
1,053 total

Weather

Conditions
Instrument (IMC) · Day
Wind
70° at 8 knots
Visibility
1 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
400 ft unknown
Temperature
66 °F, dew point 63 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
MKE, 39 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.