- Date
- August 1, 2014, 21:00 local (Aug 2, 2014, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Statesville, NC
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N472STPiper PA-46-350P
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing area overshoot
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report September 2, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- FAA report
- 20140801012599A
- Case key
- 89786
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 failure to maintain a proper glide path and airspeed on final approach, which resulted in a long landing and runway excursion.
Findings · 5
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
According to the pilot, she was flying an instrument landing system approach when she noted that the glide slope was out of service. She transitioned to a localizer-only approach and continued. Night, instrument meteorological conditions prevailed with a 400-foot ceiling. She noticed that the airplane was "high and fast" on final approach, so she used speed brakes and flaps to slow the airplane and descend to the minimum descent altitude. As the airplane descended below the ceiling, she observed runway lights and attempted to land on the runway. The airplane landed long, departed the runway at the departure end, and struck an embankment before coming to rest. An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration examined the airplane and confirmed substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, she was flying an instrument landing system approach when she noted that the glide slope was out of service. She transitioned to a localizer-only approach and continued. Night, instrument meteorological conditions prevailed with a 400-foot ceiling. She noticed that the airplane was "high and fast" on final approach, so she used speed brakes and flaps to slow the airplane and descend to the minimum descent altitude. As the airplane descended below the ceiling, she observed runway lights and attempted to land on the runway. The airplane landed long, departed the runway at the departure end, and struck an embankment before coming to rest. An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration examined the airplane and confirmed substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N472ST
- Reported as
- Piper PA-46-350P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4636472
- Built
- 2010
- Airframe hours
- 1,656
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Ets Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Ets Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 18, 2014
- Departed
- HEF · Manassas, VA
- Destination
- SVH · Statesville, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SVH · Statesville Regional, runway 28, 7,005 × 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
- 29
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 12, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,556 total · 1,200 in this make and model · 2,512 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 57 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Wind
- 20° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- SVH
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 12, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.5 MB 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.