- Date
- July 14, 2020, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fuquay Varina, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1520PPiper PA 22
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200714004609A
- Case key
- 101607
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 attain a proper approach speed, which resulted in an overrun of the wet grass runway.
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
As the pilot approached the destination airport for landing, he felt that the elevator trim was not working properly. He elected to return to the 2,780-ft-long grass runway at his home airport. While approaching the airport he continued his attempts to adjust the pitch trim, to no avail. He further reported that even after his attempts to adjust the elevator trim, it felt as if there was too much nose down trim, as he had to maintain back pressure on the yoke to keep the wings level. As the approach continued, he felt that he could not slow the airplane down or descend enough and entered a slip. The airplane landed “long and fast,” and the brakes were not effective due to the damp grass. The airplane departed the end of the runway and the right wing was substantially damaged after it impacted a tree. After the accident, the pilot stated that he adjusted the elevator trim and the system seemed to work properly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1520P
- Reported as
- Piper PA 22 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-2385
- Built
- 1954
- Airframe hours
- 3,321
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 26, 2020
- Departed
- 78NC · Fuquay Varina, NC
- Destination
- 78NC · Fuquay Varina, NC
- Airport
- 78NC · Fuquay/Angier Field, runway 14, 2,780 × 90 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 20, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 532 total · 139 in this make and model · 5 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KHRJ, 10 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 12, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.5 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.