- Date
- December 24, 1995, 10:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Wheeling, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8162SPiper PA-28RT-201
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 1, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951224042699A
- Case key
- 10177
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 misjudgment of the landing flare.
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 he was going to execute some takeoffs and landings to comply with the regulations pertaining to currency. During the first crosswind landing, at approximately 10 to 15 feet, the airplane encountered a downdraft. The pilot said he increased the elevator deflection, but the airplane's rate of descent did not decrease. He did not increase engine power because there was not enough time and the airplane landed hard. The right landing gear was twisted approximately 30 degrees outboard, and the right wing was bent up with skin wrinkling on the upper surface.
Factual narrative
On December 24, 1995 at 1020 central standard time (cst), a Piper PA-28RT-201, N8162S, piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged during landing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal 14 CFR part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed earlier that day from the Palwaukee airport, at 1000 cst.
During a telephone conversation with the pilot on December 29, 1995 he said that he was going to execute some takeoffs and landings to comply with the regulations pertaining to currency. The pilot said that during the first crosswind landing at approximately 10 to 15 feet the airplane encountered a downdraft. The pilot said he increased the elevator deflection, but the airplane's rate of descent did not decrease. The pilot said that he did not increase engine power, because there was not enough time.
The airplane's right landing gear was twisted approximately 30 degrees outboard, and the right wing was bent up with skin wrinkling on the upper surface.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8162S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201 (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-8018042
- Airframe hours
- 2,180
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-C1C6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Donald A. Karroll
- Registered owner
- Paragon Flying Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1995 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- PWK
- Airport
- PWK · Palwaukee, runway 16, 5,137 × 100 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
- 74
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,303 total · 37 in this make and model · 1,905 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PWK
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8162S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.