- Date
- September 23, 1999, 16:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Covington, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4300SPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990923045889A
- Case key
- 47447
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 decision to take off from unsuitable terrain, which resulted in a collision with trees.
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 pilot ran out of fuel and performed a forced landing in a cow pasture. The pilot obtained 9 gallons of 100LL fuel, refueled the airplane, and then taxied from the cow pasture to a 1,500-ft dirt road. The pilot attempted to take off on the dirt road, but aborted the takeoff when it looked like he was not going to make it. During the aborted takeoff the airplane's right wing collided with a tree.
Factual narrative
On September 23, 1999, about 1645 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161 , N4300S, registered to Air Orlando Inc., crashed after the private-rated pilot aborted a takeoff from a cow pasture, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed. There were no injuries, and the flight originated from Orlando Executive Airport the same day, about 0955.
The pilot stated that he ran out of fuel and made a forced landing in a cow pasture. The pilot further stated that after getting 9 gallons of 100LL fuel, refueling the airplane, and taxiing from the cow pasture to a 1,500-foot dirt road, he attempted to take off on the dirt road, but aborted the takeoff when it looked like he was not going to make it. The aircraft's right wing collided with a tree and the aircraft incurred substantial damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4300S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8316064
- Airframe hours
- 5,454
- Engine
- Lycoming 0320D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Air Orlando Inc., doing business as Air Orlando
- Registered owner
- Air Orlando Acquisition Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 28, 1998 · 75 hours before
- Departed
- ORL · Orlando, FL
- Destination
- PDK · Dekalb, GA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 242 total · 76 in this make and model · 197 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL, 12 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.
Other investigations on N4300S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.