- Date
- September 19, 1994, 12:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Nacogdoches, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8398JPiper PA-32-301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 27, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940919029179A
- Case key
- 19166
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 inadequate compensation for crosswind during landing rollout. A factor was the variable crosswind.
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 landing rollout, the left main landing gear left the runway. The airplane returned to the runway, veered to the right, and exited the runway on the right side. The airplane then impacted a ditch and slid to a stop on the taxiway. The left main landing gear separated and the nose gear collapsed. The pilot stated that the winds varied from calm to a 90 degree crosswind in excess of 20 knots.
Factual narrative
On September 19, 1994, at 1215 central daylight time, a Piper PA- 32-301, N8398J, was substantially damaged during landing at Nacogdoches, Texas. The private pilot and his commercial pilot rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 CFR 91 business flight.
The pilot provided the following information to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. During the landing roll on runway 36, airplane directional control was lost due to gusting crosswinds. The left main landing gear left the runway and went 3 to 4 feet into the grass. The nosewheel stayed on the runway. The airplane then returned to the runway, crossed the runway, and exited the runway on the right side. The airplane impacted a ditch and came to rest on the taxiway. The pilot stated that the wind varied in direction from 360 through 090 degrees and velocity from 0 to greater than 20 knots.
An inspection of the aircraft revealed that the nose gear collapsed and the left main landing gear separated. Structural damage also occurred to the firewall and the left wing spar.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8398J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-8106073
- Airframe hours
- 2,685
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1G5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Crouse, William H. Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 12, 1993 · 220 hours before
- Departed
- LFT · Lafayette, LA
- Destination
- OCH · TX
- Airport
- OCH · A.L. Mangham Jr. Regional, runway 36, 5,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 152 total · 84 in this make and model · 74 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 5 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OCH
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.