- Date
- March 11, 1993, 11:05 local (19:05 UTC)
- Place
- Avalon, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1808HPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930311004979A
- Case key
- 28356
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 poorly planned approach, excessive airspeed, and failure to attain the proper touchdown point. The pilot's lack of familiarity with the airport is a factor in this accident.
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 certificated airline transport pilot was unfamiliar with the mountain top airport. He executed a go-around on the initial landing approach. On the second approach, he landed long and fast. The pilot applied heavy braking to prevent the airplane from going off the end of the runway and down the embankment at the end of the runway. The pilot intentionally ground looped the airplane when he realized that the airplane was not going to stop on the runway. The left main gear collapsed during the ground loop.
Factual narrative
On March 11, 1993, at about 1105 hours Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-34-200T, N1808H, landed long and overran runway 22, at Catalina Airport (AVX), Avalon, California. The pilot was completing a visual flight rules personal flight. The airplane, operated by South Bay Aviation, Torrance, California, sustained substantial damage. Neither the certificated airline transport pilot nor his two passengers was injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at Torrance Municipal Airport (TOA), Torrance, California, at 1044 hours.
The pilot told Safety Board investigators in a telephone interview conducted on March 11, 1993, that the initial approach to runway 22 was high and he elected to go-around. On the second approach, at 90 knots indicated airspeed, he landed long. He stated the braking was poor when he applied the brakes and then the left brake "locked." The airplane swerved to the left and the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane slid off the end of the runway.
The operator reported that the pilot told him that the landing was "fast and high" and elected not to go-around. He "locked-up the brakes" but realized that the airplane would not stop within the runway environment. The pilot intentionally "ground-looped" the airplane to prevent it from overrunning the runway and go down the embankment at the end of the runway. The left main gear collapsed during the ground loop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1808H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7770151
- Airframe hours
- 3,081
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-E, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- South Bay Aviation
- Registered owner
- Alfredo Lopez
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 25, 1993 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- TOA · Torrance, CA
- Airport
- AVX · Catalina, runway 22, 3,240 × 100 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
- 26
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 743 total · 21 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.