- Date
- January 19, 1991, 18:15 local (Jan 20, 1991, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Cabool, MO
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5627PPiper PA-24
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910119000849A
- Case key
- 14993
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain proper runway alignment during a go-around. Factors related to the accident were: darkness and the pilot's lack of understanding of the landing gear electrical system.
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 pilot said that after circling the airport, to determine runway use on a dark night, he lowered the gear and prepared to land. He noticed on final approach, the landing gear indicator lights were not illuminated properly and attempted to determine if the gear was in the safe position. He saw the lighted wind tee go by, about mid-field, during final approach and decided there was insufficient runway to land so elected to make a go around. He said that he must have inadvertently shut the panel lights off, which automatically brightens up the gear position lights. He attempted to reach a flashlight in the cockpit, but unknowingly banked the aircraft to the right of the runway, collided with some trees, then collided with the terrain. This type of aircraft was designed to automatically dim the gear position lights when the panel lights were activated, to reduce cockpit glare.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5627P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-697
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Floyd L. Fenix
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- VIH · Vichy, MO
- Airport
- TVB · Cabool, runway 21, 3,000 × 50 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 547 total · 17 in this make and model · 487 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,100 ft broken
- Observed at
- VIH, 60 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.