- Date
- June 19, 1993, 16:58 local (21:58 UTC)
- Place
- Hondo, TX
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6695WPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930619019609A
- Case key
- 18778
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 improper evaluation of the weather which led to the downwind takeoff. Factors were the windshift and the tailwind.
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 stated that the wind shifted to a tail wind after he boarded the airplane for takeoff. He stated that the airplane lifted off about three quarters of the way down the 2,000 foot grass strip and the airplane would not climb. He elected to abort and the airplane subsequently ran off the end off the runway into a plowed field and nosed over. Numerous isolated thunderstorms were in the area at the time.
Factual narrative
On Saturday, June 19, 1993, at approximately 1658 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N6695W, was substantially damaged when it nosed over during a rejected takeoff at a private strip near Hondo, Texas. The airplane, owned by the commercial pilot, was departing on a local personal flight. There was no flight plan filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. Neither the pilot, nor the three passengers, were injured.
The pilot stated that when he was preparing for the flight the wind was steady out of the southwest, he therefore elected to takeoff to the south. He further stated that he broke ground about three quarters of the way down the 2,000 foot grass strip, but, the airplane would not climb. He then aborted the takeoff and touched back down on the strip. The airplane subsequently ran off the end of the runway into a plowed field and nosed over. The pilot stated that when he exited the airplane, he noticed that the wind was out of the north. He further stated that he had just mowed the strip and the grass was between one and two inches high and not "too" wet. Numerous isolated thunderstorms were in the area at the time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6695W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-20804
- Airframe hours
- 4,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Decker, Kirk K.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 2, 1992 · 30 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · Decker Ranch, runway 17, 2,000 × 30 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 100 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.