- Date
- November 9, 1993, 15:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fredericksburg, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6776WPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931109042479A
- Case key
- 18967
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 utilization of unsuitable terrain for takeoff.
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 was forced by low ceilings and visibilities to land in a pasture 8 miles from his intended destination. While attempting to recover the airplane back to the airport on the following day, the airplane cleared a fence at the end of the pasture, but was not able to clear the top of the 20 to 25 foot tall trees surrounding the pasture.
Factual narrative
On November 9, 1993, at 1530 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-140, N6776W, was substantially damaged durimg initial takeoff climb from a pasture near Fredericksburg, Texas. The private pilot was not injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight. No flight plan was filed.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane made a precautionary landing on the open pasture on the previous day. The the pilot had been unable to land at the Gillespie County Airport, near Fredericksburg, Texas, due to low ceilings and visibilities. The purpose of the flight was to recover the airplane from the pasture and fly it to the Gillespie Airport, approximately 8 miles to the southeast.
The pilot stated that the airplane cleared the fence at the end of the pasture, but was not able to clear the top of the trees. Trees surrounding the pasture were estimated to be 15 to 20 feet tall. Density altitude was calculated at 2700 feet. The pilot did not report any maintenance anomalies prior to the accident. The outboard half of both wings sustained structural damage and the fuselage was bent.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6776W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-20904
- Airframe hours
- 2,704
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kramer, Levi W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 8, 1993 · 21 hours before
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 514 total · 514 in this make and model · 34 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 1.5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAT, 59 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.