- Date
- April 8, 1999, 17:55 local (22:55 UTC)
- Place
- North Platte, NE
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N32194Piper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990408003229A
- Case key
- 46066
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 inadequate compensation for gusty wind conditions. Factors associated with the accident were the gusty, high, wind conditions, and the pilot's continued flight into adverse weather.
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
In a written statement, the pilot stated, 'the final approach was as expected, however at the moment of flare, a strong gust of wind from 320 degrees moved us 80 feet off the runway.' The pilot reported no preexisting anomalies with the airplane, and none were found during a postaccident examination. The reported wind at the time of the accident was 340 degrees at 29 knots, gusting to 39 knots, with a peak wind of 320 degrees at 47 knots.
Factual narrative
On April 8, 1999, at 1755 central daylight time (cdt), a Piper PA-28-180, N32194, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage during landing, on Runway 35 (4,436 feet by 100 feet dry/asphalt), at the North Platte Regional Airport, near North Platte, Nebraska. The personal flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91. There was no flight plan on file. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported no injuries to himself or his one passenger. The flight originated from the Sheridan County Airport, Sheridan, Wyoming at 1330.
In a written statement, the pilot stated that, "the final approach was as expected, however at the moment of flare, a strong gust of wind from 320 degrees moved us 80 feet off the runway."
Post accident examination showed damage to the ribs and skin of the right wing, the outboard four feet of the left wing was bent upward approximately 12", the engine mount tubing was distorted, and the firewall was bent.
The pilot reported no pre-existing anomalies and none were found during post accident examination.
Weather reports for a reporting station, KLBF, located at the accident airport showed winds as follows;
At 1356 cdt, 4 hours prior to the accident, wind 350 degrees at 21 knots gusting to 26 knots with a peak wind of 280 degrees at 33 knots.
At 1456 cdt, 3 hours prior to the accident, wind 330 degrees at 24 knots gusting to 31 knots with a peak wind of 360 degrees at 33 knots.
At 1556 cdt, 2 hours prior to the accident, wind 340 degrees at 29 knots gusting to 39 knots with a peak wind of 330 degrees at 39 knots.
At 1656 cdt, 1 hours prior to the accident, wind 330 degrees at 33 knots gusting to 45 knots with a peak wind of 340 degrees at 45 knots.
At 1756 cdt, at the time of the accident, wind 340 degrees at 29 knots gusting to 39 knots with a peak wind of 320 degrees at 47 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N32194
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7505036
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Safeguard Investment Services
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SHR · Sheridan, WY
- Destination
- LBF
- Airport
- LBF · North Platte Regional, runway 35, 4,436 × 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 168 total · 75 in this make and model · 37 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 29 knots, gusting 39
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LBF
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 N32194 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.