- Date
- April 4, 2001, 07:05 local (11:05 UTC)
- Place
- Lexington, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4586JPiper PA-28R-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010404007299A
- Case key
- 52015
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 inadequate compensation for the runway conditions. Factors included the soggy runway conditions, and the lack of available takeoff performance data in the owners manual.
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 attempted a takeoff from a "slight upslope," 2,200-foot grass strip with random low spots. The takeoff was attempted after several days of rain, and the ground was still soggy. After liftoff, the airplane struck a 6-inch square wooden fence post at the departure end of the runway, which tore skin off a wing, and damaged the wing spar, aileron and anti-servo trim tab. The pilot then landed the airplane ahead, in an open field, about 300 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. During the landing, the right main landing gear collapsed. No mechanical malfunctions contributed to the accident. The owners handbook stated that takeoffs should be made with flaps up, but only provided takeoff distance data for airplanes configured with flaps 25 degrees, and maximum power from a paved, level, and dry runway. Winds were about 70 degrees off the airplane's nose, at 9 knots.
Factual narrative
On April 4, 2001, at 0705 Eastern Daylight Time, a Piper PA-28R-180, N4586J, was substantially damaged when it struck a fencepost during a takeoff from a private airstrip in Lexington, Virginia. The certificated private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed for the flight, between Lexington and Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD), Weyers Cave, Virginia. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to statements from a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector and the pilot, the pilot attempted the takeoff from Runway 33, a 2,200-foot grass strip with random low spots. The takeoff, from a "slight upslope," was attempted after several days of rain, and the ground was still soggy. After liftoff, the airplane struck a 6-inch square wooden fence post at the departure end of the runway, which tore skin off a wing, and damaged the wing spar, aileron and anti-servo trim tab. The pilot then landed the airplane ahead, in an open field, about 300 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. During the landing, the right main landing gear collapsed.
Post-accident examination of the airplane confirmed that there were no contributing mechanical malfunctions.
The Piper Cherokee owners handbook stated that takeoffs should be made with flaps up. However, takeoff data was only provided for airplanes configured with flaps 25 degrees, performing a "maximum effort" takeoff from a paved, level, and dry runway.
Winds, recorded at an airport 25 nautical miles to the southeast, about 10 minutes before the accident, were from 040 degrees true, at 9 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4586J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R30457
- Airframe hours
- 3,930
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Donald P. Jeffer, Jr.
- Registered owner
- Aero Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 2, 2000 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Lexington
- Destination
- SHD · Weyer's Cave, VA
- Airport
- NONE · Private Airstrip, runway 33, 2,100 × 50 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
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 11, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 222 total · 141 in this make and model · 175 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- LYH, 25 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.