- Date
- May 16, 2015, 14:56 local (18:56 UTC)
- Place
- Princeton, NJ
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N16491Piper PA 28-140
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 8, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA Allentown FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150516007079A
- Case key
- 91200
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 directional control during the landing, resulting in a runway excursion.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during the landing, the back wheels of the airplane touched the runway, he heard a pop, and he couldn't control the airplane. He reported that the airplane veered off the right side of the runway, the right wing and nose impacted a ditch, and subsequently sustained substantial damage to both wings and the engine mount. The pilot stated he assumes the right tire exploded during the landing. A front view photograph of the airplane at the accident site (provided by the Federal Aviation Administration), showed the airplane came to rest off the right side of the runway, and that the right main landing gear tire was intact and inflated. The pilot verified that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the landing, the back wheels of the airplane touched the runway, he heard a pop, and he couldn't control the airplane. He reported that the airplane veered off the right side of the runway, the right wing and nose impacted a ditch, and subsequently sustained substantial damage to both wings and the engine mount. The pilot stated he assumes the right tire exploded during the landing. A front view photograph of the airplane at the accident site (provided by the Federal Aviation Administration), showed the airplane came to rest off the right side of the runway, and that the right main landing gear tire was intact and inflated. The pilot verified that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16491
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28-140 (140)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7325285
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 12,100
- Engine
- Lycoming, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Peterson David J
- Registered owner
- Peterson David J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 13, 2014
- Departed
- 39N · Princeton, NJ
- Destination
- 39N · Princeton, NJ
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- 39N · Princeton, runway 28, 3,499 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Last flight review
- August 4, 2013
- Flight hours
- 2,406 total · 605 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KTTN, 10 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 1, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.0 MB in all.
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 N16491 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.