# NTSB CHI99LA038: Piper PA-28R-200, N5256T, Hancock, MI, November 25, 1998 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 24, 1998, 20:50 local (Nov 25, 1998, 01:50 UTC) - Place: Hancock, MI - Coordinates: 47.130615, -88.600578 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.1306&lon=-88.6006&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 2, 1999 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 45347 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI99LA038 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/45347/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA038 ## Probable cause the pilot became disoriented while taxiing at an unfamiliar airport and his failure to reduce engine power when the airplane departed the paved surface. Factors associated with the accident were the dark night condition, the pilot did not follow the correct taxi route to the runway, and the ditch which the airplane contacted. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, taxi - to takeoff - light condition - dark night (contributing factor) - became lost/disoriented, pilot in command (cause) - wrong taxi route - inadvertent, pilot in command (contributing factor) - throttle/power control - continued, pilot in command (cause) - terrain condition - ditch (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot was taxiing to the runway when the airplane traveled off the ramp into an unlit open grass area. The airplane continued through the grass until coming to a stop after traveling into a 10 foot deep ditch. The pilot reported he had never landed at this airport before and that he did not reduce the throttle when the airplane left the paved ramp area. The taxiway lights were lit at the time of the accident. ## Factual narrative On November 24, 1998, at 2050 eastern standard time, a Piper PA- 28R-200, N5256T, operated by a private pilot collided with the terrain while taxiing for takeoff at the Houghton County Memorial Airport, Hancock, Michigan. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. The pilot was intending to fly to Pellston, Michigan. The pilot reported that he was making his long cross country flight to fulfill the requirements for his commercial rating when the accident occurred. He departed Bay City, Michigan, and flew to the Hancock, Michigan, as the first leg of his cross country. The pilot stated that after landing at the Houghton County Memorial Airport he taxied to terminal area where he parked the airplane, obtained fuel, and filed flight plans for the remainder of the trip. He stated he then boarded the airplane and began taxiing toward runway 13/31. The pilot continued to report, "I had the mistaken impression that there was a wide open flat area between the terminal building and the beginning of the taxiway (as there is at Bay City). This wide open area was unlit, and after taxiing straight toward the runway for about 20 or 30 feet, the plane began rolling downhill at about a 45 degree angle for about 10 feet, with the engine running, until it stopped abruptly." The airplane came to rest in a 45 degree nose down attitude at the bottom of a 10 foot deep ditch. The accident site was approximately 120 feet from the end of the ramp area, between the ramp and taxiway "C". The pilot reported he had practiced approaches at the Houghton County Memorial Airport in the past, but had never landed there. He reported the area he taxied into was not lit. The pilot reported "Lack of situational awareness on my part and a failure to stop immediately when I had taxied away from pavement and onto grass are, in my opinion, the main causes of this accident." The taxiway lights were lit at the time of the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5256T](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5256T-2013-08-16), registration cancelled 2013-08-16, S/N 28R-7235207, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-28R-200 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28R-200](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28r-200) (registry code 7102811) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming I0360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (registry code 41515, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28R-7235207 - Airframe hours: 4236 - Engines: Lycoming IO-360-C1C 200 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: Munley Smith Aviation - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, October 16, 1998, 17 hours before - Departed: CMX - Destination: PLN, PELLSTON, MI - Flight plan: VFR - Airport: CMX, Houghton County Memorial ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 62; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 388 total, 32 in this make and model, 299 as pilot in command, 21 in the last 90 days, 11 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night/dark - Wind: 130° at 10 knots - Visibility: 20 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 18,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 36 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: CMX ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19981124032499A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981124032499A), Nov 24, 1998: Piper PA28R200, Hancock, MI, Substantial damage. (.19) On November 24, 1998, at 2050 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28R-200, N5256T, operated by a private pilot collided with the terrain while taxiing for… ## Other investigations on N5256T (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI95LA178](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI95LA178), Jun 13, 1995: Piper PA-28R-200 (N5256T), Bay City, MI, substantial damage. Probable cause: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM OBSTACLES AND HIS INTENTIONAL BUZZING. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.