- Date
- June 3, 2006, 12:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Gualala, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4174ZPiper PA-32R-301T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20060603014729A
- Case key
- 63851
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 misjudged distance and speed, which resulted in a runway overrun. A contributing factor was the hump in the runway.
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 airplane overran the departure end of the 2,500-foot runway on landing and the landing gear collapsed. The runway had a hump in its middle that decreased the landing visibility. The pilot said that when he realized that he needed to perform a go-around, he did not have the runway available to safety execute the procedure. The pilot said that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Factual narrative
On June 3, 2006, at 1215 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA32R-301T, N4174Z, ran off the end of the runway and the landing gear collapsed at Ocean Ridge Airport, Gualala, California. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight. The pilot departed from San Rafael Airport, San Rafael, California, at 1130, and was landing at his destination when the accident occurred.
The pilot stated that the while landing on the 2,500-foot runway, the airplane ran off the end. As it slid across the grass-covered terrain, the landing gear collapsed, which resulted in rib damage to the outboard left wing and right wheel well area. There were no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight. The pilot noted that the runway had a hump in its middle that decreased his visibility during landing. When he realized that he needed to perform a go-around, there was not enough runway available to safety do so.
The Airport/Facility Directory Southwest notes in the remarks section for Ocean Ridge Airport, in part, "Acft not visible from opposite ends of rwy."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4174Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-301T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3257179
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ezra Howington
- Registered owner
- Caledonia LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CA35 · San Rafael, CA
- Destination
- E55 · Gualala, CA
- Airport
- E55 · Ocean Ridge, runway 13, 2,500 × 50 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 615 total · 165 in this make and model · 51 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.