- Date
- September 24, 1985, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Ruston, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N31919Piper PA-32RT-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850924047059A
- Case key
- 21856
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
On ground/water encounter with weather
Weather condition - crosswindFactor
Loss of control - on ground/water
Compensation for wind conditions - not maintainedCause
Lack of total experience in type of aircraftCause
Directional control - not maintainedCause
Inadequate training(emergency procedure(s))Cause
On ground/water collision with object
Object - vehicleFactor
Analysis
This 110 hour private pilot lost directional control of the aircraft while landing in a 90 degree cross wind and veered into a pickup truck spraying herbicide on the runway edge lights. Two city employees saw the aircraft coming towards them and escaped without injury, but the outboard left wing of the aircraft and the cab of the pickup truck weredestroyed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31919
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32RT-300 (PA-32RT-30)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R7885140
- Airframe hours
- 1,917
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James D. Young
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 25, 1985
- Departed
- LFT · Lafayette, LA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- RSN · Ruston Muni, runway 34, 4,000 × 90 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 107 total · 14 in this make and model · 75 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MLU, 33 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.