- Date
- July 14, 1989, 22:15 local (Jul 15, 1989, 04:15 UTC)
- Place
- Alpine, WY
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N21170Piper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 29, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890714040859A
- Case key
- 17748
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
Pilot's decision to land at an unlighted airport at night. The aircraft landed long and overran the runway.
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 acft was landing on an unlighted, 5700 x 50 ft, asphalt rwy at night. The acft overran the rwy and collided with a ditch which broke off the lt main gear and damaged the wing. The airport directories show the airport is closed at night. The acdt occurred at 2215 and the sun had set at about 2105.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21170
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7916029
- Airframe hours
- 3,350
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- American Air Academy
- Registered owner
- Larry Wright
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 31, 1989 · 97 hours before
- Departed
- AFO · Afton, WY
- Destination
- 46U
- Airport
- 46U · Alpine, runway 13, 5,700 × 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
- 23
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 108 total · 24 in this make and model · 19 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
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 N21170 · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.