- Date
- January 22, 1993, 19:00 local (Jan 23, 1993, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- El Dorado, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7676CPiper PA-32R-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930122000859A
- Case key
- 18635
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 clearance. A factor was the dark night.
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
During a series of practice visual approaches to an airfield the airplane struck a tree, approximately 60 to 80 feet tall, on the third approach approximately a half mile short of the landing threshold. The pilot stated that he observed the VASI system during the approach, it indicated the lights in the red. After the tree strike the pilot regained control and circled to land on the opposite runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7676C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7680057
- Airframe hours
- 2,195
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-KIA5D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Acoustics Consultants Inc
- Registered owner
- Acoustics Consultants Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 5, 1992 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- CDH · Camden, AR
- Destination
- ELD
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 561 total · 14 in this make and model · 523 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ELD, 1 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.
Other investigations on N7676C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.