# NTSB LAX08CA014: Piper PA-34-200T, N3038P, Napa, CA, November 11, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: November 10, 2007, 19:15 local (Nov 11, 2007, 03:15 UTC) - Place: Napa, CA - Coordinates: 38.2130555555556, -122.280555555556 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2131&lon=-122.2806&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 20, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 66926 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX08CA014 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/66926/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX08CA014 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to latch the cargo door during preflight. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Miscellaneous/other, takeoff - roll/run - aircraft preflight - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - door,cargo/baggage - unlatched (cause) - door,cargo/baggage - open - Overrun, takeoff - aborted - abort - initiated, pilot in command - On ground/water collision with object, takeoff - aborted - object - fence - terrain condition - ditch - terrain condition - water ## Analysis The pilot stated he unloaded his passengers at the FBO and was returning to his home airport. He noted he had been distracted during the unloading and pre takeoff phases, and neglected to latch the front cargo door. During takeoff, the forward nose cargo door opened and the pilot decided to abort the takeoff. He opined that the wet runway caused the airplane to hydroplane, which made stopping difficult. The airplane overran the end of the runway, continued about 200 yards, collided with a fence, and came to rest in a canal. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine. ## Factual narrative On November 10, 2007, about 1915 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-34-200T, N3038P, overran the runway at Napa County Airport, Napa, California. Atkin Air, LLC, was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The repositioning flight departed Napa about 1915, with a planned destination of Lincoln Regional Airport - Karl Harder Field, Lincoln, California. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. In a written report to the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot stated he unloaded the passengers at the FBO and was returning to Lincoln. He noted he had been distracted, and neglected to latch the front cargo door. During takeoff, the cargo door opened and the pilot decided to abort the takeoff. He opined that the wet runway caused the airplane to hydroplane, which made stopping difficult. The airplane overran the runway, continued about 200 yards, collided with a fence, and came to rest in a water-filled canal. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3038P](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3038P-2009-12-02), registration cancelled 2009-12-02, S/N 34-7970136, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-34-200T - Registry model: [Piper PA-34-200T](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-34-200t) (registry code 7103406) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental TSIO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-360-series) (registry code 17019, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 34-7970136 - Airframe hours: 5513 - Engines: Teledyne Continental TSIO-360-EB 200 horsepower reciprocating; Teledyne Continental LTSIO-360-EB 200 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Positioning, Part 91 - Registered owner: Atkin Air, LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, September 1, 2007, 22 hours before - Departed: APC, Napa, CA - Destination: LHM, Lincoln, CA - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: APC, Napa County Airport, runway 24, 5,007 × 150 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 57; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review July 1, 2007; seat: left; flight hours: 2,492 total, 128 in this make and model, 2,418 as pilot in command, 124 in the last 90 days, 42 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Night/dark - Wind: 80° at 3 knots - Visibility: 2 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 1,500 ft overcast - Temperature: 55 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 29.97 inHg - Observed at: APC ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20071111828849A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071111828849A), Nov 11, 2007: Piper PA34200T, Napa, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) During the takeoff roll at the Napa County Airport, the front/nose baggage door came open. The pilot of N3038P aborted the takeoff roll. The area had… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.