ERA22LA253

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA28 · Simsbury, CT · May 31, 2022

Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal report
Date
May 31, 2022, 19:25 local (23:25 UTC)
Place
Simsbury, CT
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N2973KPiper PA28
Defining event
Landing-aborted after touchdown: 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/FSDO
FAA report
20220531009199A
Case key
105166

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 delayed decision to abort the landing, which resulted in a runway overrun.

Findings · 1

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 was on a cross country flight and at the destination airport entered the right downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern, then turned onto right base leg of the airport traffic pattern. Because of “excessive wind gusts” on final approach he performed a go-around and remained in the traffic pattern for the same runway. On final approach the flight again encountered a wind gust and the airplane descended. He added power to arrest the descent but the airplane then floated down the runway. The airplane touched down just prior to a taxiway, with about 959 ft of runway available. He applied the brakes but realized he would be unable to stop before the runway end. He applied power to abort the landing, but the airplane did not climb as he expected and it travelled off the end of the runway into a farm field. He did not recall if he applied the brakes or reduced power in an attempt to abort the aborted landing. The airplane impacted a metal frame that enclosed plants and came to rest with the nose landing gear collapsed. The engine mount was substantially damaged. He reported that when he added full power to go-around the engine responded, the airplane was decelerating with initial brake application, and there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airplane that resulted in the runway excursion. Postaccident examination revealed the flap selector was in the retracted position.

Aircraft

Registration
N2973K
Reported as
Piper PA28 (161)
Category
Airplane
Serial number
28-8016007
Built
1979
Engine
Lycoming O-320 Series, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · July 23, 2021
Departed
FRG · Farmingdale, NY
Destination
Same as departure
Airport
4B9 · Simsbury Airport, runway 21, 2,205 × 50 ft, asphalt
Equipment
ADS-B, Stall warning system

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
63
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
July 14, 2020
Seat
Left
Restraint
Lap only
Flight hours
230 total · 200 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
180° at 12 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
10,000 ft broken
Temperature
79 °F, dew point 63 °F
Altimeter
29.90 inHg
Turbulence
Light
Observed at
KBDL, 5 nm away
METAR
KBDL 312351Z 18012KT 10SM FEW080 BKN100 BKN250 26/17 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP125 T02560172 10339 20256 53010

Docket · 4

The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 14, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 15.3 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.