- Date
- October 5, 1990, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rolling Fork, MS
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8634CPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901005044179A
- Case key
- 32782
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 failure of the pilot to maintain wingtip clearance with tall grass at the edge of the runway during the ground roll.
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 accident occurred at a pvt arpt. The plt stated that he elected to takeoff on the grass next to the concrete/asphalt rwy because there was a sharp edge at the beginning of it & the rwy contained ruts & loose sand piles. He also stated that he observed a high row of weeds next to the grass but did not observe a ditch next to the tall weeds. After applying power he released the brakes & while performing a soft field takeoff procedure, felt the acft pull to the rt. He applied lt rudder to correct then aborted the takeoff. The acft veered to the rt & travelled into a ditch. The occupants escaped unharmed. According to an FAA inspector who examined the arpt, the rwy did not contain ruts as described by the plt but the grass extension before the rwy was soft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8634C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7690154
- Airframe hours
- 1,599
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Snyder, Norman L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 25, 1990 · 24 hours before
- Destination
- LWV · Lawrenceville, IL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 27M · Nick'S Flying Service, runway 35, 3,400 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 49
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,791 total · 500 in this make and model · 1,605 as pilot in command · 77 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GLH, 35 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.