- Date
- March 2, 1990, 19:50 local (Mar 3, 1990, 01:50 UTC)
- Place
- Brainerd, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3967KPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report September 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900302003129A
- Case key
- 14639
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 failure of the pilot to maintain proper alignment with the runway.
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 accident airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with visual approach slope indicator (VASI) during a night landing attempt to an unlighted runway at the completion of a personal flight. The student pilot was not injured. The pilot stated on his accident report form that he attempted to activate the lights twice but was unsuccessful. During his final approach to the landing runway he states that wind which he describes as 'severe wind shear' displaced him to the point that he had to land alongside the runway. The airplane struck the VASI support during the landing roll. An operational check of the airport lighting system was conducted by airport personnel after the accident. This test showed the lights to be operating correctly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3967K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-23851
- Engine
- Lycoming O320-A24, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John Simmons
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- Y19 · Mandan, ND
- Airport
- BRD · Brainerd, runway 30, 4,082 × 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
- 59
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 60 total · 50 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 300° at 15 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 21 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BRD
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.