- Date
- August 9, 2011, 09:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Charleston, SC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N30731Piper PA-32RT-300
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing area overshoot
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 20, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110809017359A
- Case key
- 81432
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 decision to continue the approach and landing at a high airspeed, which resulted in an improper touchdown point and subsequent runway excursion.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was approaching the airport for landing at an altitude of 2,500 feet. He requested and received clearance for a 360-degree turn to lose altitude prior to continuing the landing approach. The pilot stated that the airplane's airspeed was too high as it crossed the runway threshold, but he elected to continue the landing. The airplane touched down, but the pilot was unable to stop the airplane before it traveled off the end of the runway and impacted a fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane and that he should have executed a go-around rather than continuing the approach and landing.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was approaching the airport for landing at an altitude of 2,500 feet. He requested from the airport control tower, and was subsequently cleared for, a 360-degree turn to lose altitude prior to continuing the landing approach. The pilot stated that the airplane's airspeed was too high as it crossed the runway threshold, but he elected to continue the landing. The airplane touched down, but the pilot was unable to stop the airplane before it traveled off the end of the runway and impacted a fence, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane, and that he should have executed a go-around rather than continuing the approach and landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30731
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32RT-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7885089
- Airframe hours
- 1,839
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Arthur Thayer R Jr
- Registered owner
- Arthur Thayer R Jr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 21, 2011
- Departed
- DYB · Summerville, SC
- Destination
- CHS · Charleston, SC
- Airport
- CHS · Charleston International, runway 03, 7,000 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 24, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 759 total · 411 in this make and model · 691 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.78 inHg
- Observed at
- CHS
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 3, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 397 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.