- Date
- July 27, 1991, 20:15 local (Jul 28, 1991, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Heber Springs, AR
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8233APiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910727030429A
- Case key
- 23371
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 touchdown at an improper point on the airstrip. A factor was the wet downsloping grass airstrip.
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.
Analysis
The pilot landed 1,350 feet down a 2,700 foot wet, grass, downsloping runway. The airplane swerved upon brake application after touchdown, which was corrected by rudder application. As the airplane approached the end of the runway, the right wing struck a tree. The airplane departed the runway to the right and came to rest in the trees. According to the PA-28-181 landing ground roll chart, the stopping distance for a paved, level, dry runway is 980 feet. The chart does not address runway slope, wet runways, or grass runways.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8233A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8090353
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Westex Aircraft, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Westex Aircraft, Inc.
- Departed
- LAW · Lawton, OK
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- NONE · Tannenbaum, runway 18, 2,700 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 422 total · 63 in this make and model · 375 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.