- Date
- February 5, 1995, 13:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Lafayette, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N38394Piper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 19, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950205001119A
- Case key
- 9833
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's failure to perform a go-around. The gusty crosswind was a factor in the accident.
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 stated he planned to use 20 degrees of flaps and a higher than normal approach speed due to a gusty crosswind. He reported the airplane touched down about 100 feet from the departure end of the runway. The airplane ran off the end of the runway and collided with a tree. The pilot reported 104 hours total flight time, including 6 hours in the accident make and model airplane.
Factual narrative
On February 5, 1995, at 1340 eastern standard time, a Piper PA28- 181, N38394, operated by a private pilot on a pleasure flight, sustained substantial damage when it ran off the departure end of the runway and struck a tree during the landing roll at the Aretz Airport in Lafayette, Indiana. The pilot, the sole occupant, reported no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on a VFR flight plan. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated from Bloomington, Indiana, approximately 1250.
The pilot planned to land on runway 25 (2,812' X 50', asphalt) at Aretz Airport, with winds reported to be out of 330 degrees at 13 knots, with gusts to 18 knots. He stated because he anticipated "...a sizeable crosswind component and potential gust..." he elected to maintain a higher than normal airspeed and reduced flap setting for the approach to the runway. The pilot reported the airplane was high on final approach, but seemed about ready to touch down at the midpoint of the runway. The pilot stated: "...before it set down, the plane seemed to catch a gust of air and continue floating...I did not feel that I had sufficient room nor speed to safely execute a go-around... .The plane finally set down approximately one hundred feet from the end of the runway."
The pilot stated he applied brakes and full aft elevator, but could not stop before the departure end of the runway. The airplane ran off the end of the runway, onto the grass and collided with a tree. The pilot's written statement indicated he had 104 hours total flight time, including 6 hours in the accident make and model airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38394
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7790548
- Airframe hours
- 5,617
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Purdue Pilots, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Provisional (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 13, 1995 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- BMG · Bloomington, IN
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 3AR · Aretz Airport, runway 25, 2,812 × 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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 104 total · 6 in this make and model · 53 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAF, 7 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.