FTW97LA287

The pilot stated that on short final the airplane was 'a little fast and [he] thought about going around,' but committed to landing. The pilot applied the brakes immediately upon landing. The grass was wet and the airplane was not going to stop before the end of the runway. The pilot reported that he made a 90-degree left turn, towards an open field, approximately 60 yards from the departure end of the runway, to avoid a large ditch located just off the departure end of the runway. The airplane contacted a tree with the right wing tip and rolled through a barbed wire fence. The airplane's left wing was resting on a fence post when the left wheel dropped into a hole which 'buckled the main spar at the outboard skin lap.'

On July 26, 1997, at 0945 central daylight time, a Piper PA-24-180 airplane, N7014P, registered to and operated by a private owner, was substantially damaged while landing at Parson Field, a private 2,000 foot grass air strip, near Arthur City, Texas. The private pilot, sole occupant, was not injured. No flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 local personal flight. The flight, conducted in visual meteorological conditions, departed the private air strip at 0830.

The pilot stated to the NTSB representative, during a telephone interview, that this was his fourth landing that morning. On short final he said the airplane was "a little fast and thought about going around," but committed to the landing. The pilot reported that he applied the brakes immediately upon landing. The grass was wet and the airplane was not going to stop before the end of the runway. Approximately 60 yards from the departure end of the runway, the pilot turned the aircraft 90 degrees to the left toward an open field, to avoid running into a large ditch located beyond the departure end of the runway. The airplane contacted a tree with the right wing tip and rolled through a barbed wire fence. The left wing was resting on top of a fence post when "the left wheel dropped into a hole which buckled the main spar at the outboard skin lap." The airplane came to rest to the left of the extended runway centerline and upright.

Weather conditions at the Cox Field Airport, Paris, Texas, 25 nautical miles south of the accident site, at 0956 central daylight time, were visual conditions. The visibility was 10 statute miles, the sky was clear, and winds were reported from 230 degrees at 6 knots.