- Date
- July 27, 1997, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Burnsville, NC
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9396PPiper PA-24-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 2, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970727019809A
- Case key
- 38316
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 use the checklist to confirm that the main cabin door was closed and locked before takeoff. Also, failure of the pilot to attain the proper touchdown point during the precautionary landing. Contributing to the accident was the self induced pressure by the pilot.
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
Before takeoff the pilot failed to verify that the main cabin door was closed and latched. After takeoff the door opened and he maneuvered the airplane to land in the opposite direction than for takeoff. He stated that he became distracted due to the perceived emergency and landed about 6 feet short of the runway on upsloping terrain. The left main landing gear then separated from the airplane which bounced onto then off the runway into a 25-foot deep ravine where the airplane came to rest upright.
Factual narrative
On July 27, 1997, about 1430 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24-260, N9396P, coregistered to private individuals, landed short during a precautionary landing shortly after takeoff from the Mountain Air Airport, a private airstrip near Burnsville, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-rated pilot and two passengers were not injured. The right front seat passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight originated about 2 minutes earlier.
The pilot stated that before takeoff he failed to check that the main cabin door was closed and latched. Shortly after takeoff his wife in the right front seat noted that the cabin door was ajar. He maneuvered the airplane to return for landing on the opposite direction used for departure. He stated that he became distracted by the perceived emergency and landed about 6 feet short on upsloping terrain. The left main landing gear separated and the airplane bounced onto the runway, veered off the left side of the runway into a 25-feet deep ravine and came to rest upright.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9396P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-4899
- Airframe hours
- 3,187
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-N1A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kristan R. Maynard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 10, 1997 · 33 hours before
- Departed
- 2NC0
- Destination
- UMP · Indianapolis, IN
- Airport
- 2NC0 · Mountain Air Airport, runway 32, 2,900 × 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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,190 total · 125 in this make and model · 1,025 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AVL, 27 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.