- Date
- April 18, 1993, 11:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Festus, MO
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9298TPiper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930418009619A
- Case key
- 15699
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-in-command's failure to maintain a proper glidepath during approach. Factors which contributed to the accident were: the pilot's motion sickness and the effect of the over-the-counter medication on his piloting performance.
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 was on a round-robin solo cross-country flight from st. louis to potosi, bonne terre, and return. During the return trip to st. louis the pilot became motion-sick and diverted to the nearest airport - Festus - for a precautionary landing. The airplane landed 250 ft short of the runway, about 40 ft below the crest of the hill where the runway is located. The pilot stated that he had taken an over-the-counter motion-sickness tablet (50 mg dimenhydrinate) prior to his departure from st. louis; an elapsed flight time of about 2.1 hrs. The label of the medication stated it could cause marked drowsiness, and bore a caution against driving or operating machinery.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9298T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-78A0337
- Airframe hours
- 4,041
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Phoenix Aviation
- Registered owner
- Phoenix Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 18, 1993 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- SUS · Saint Louis, MO
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- FES · Festus Memorial, runway 18, 2,200 × 49 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
- 20
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 52 total · 52 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 12 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SUS, 35 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.