- Date
- October 21, 2001, 14:50 local (18:50 UTC)
- Place
- Buckhannon, WV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5725WPiper PA-28-160
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20011021031979A
- Case key
- 53655
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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing. A factor related to the accident were the gusting wind conditions.
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
After two unsuccessful attempts to land on runway 29, due to crosswind conditions, the student pilot attempted a third landing. The airplane touched down about 400-600 feet beyond the runway threshold, and departed the right side of the runway onto the grass. The student pilot applied full power and attempted to abort the landing; however, when he raised the nose of the airplane, the stall warning horn sounded. The student pilot realized that he would not be able to climb over an embankment and aborted the takeoff. The airplane continued into the embankment, sheared off the nose gear, and came to rest upright. The pilot estimated the wind from 270 degrees at 20 knots, gusts to 25 knots.
Factual narrative
On October 21, 2001, about 1450 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-160, N5725W, was substantially damaged while landing at the Upshur County Regional Airport (W22), Buckhannon, West Virginia. The certificated student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the student pilot, upon arrival at W22, he made a low pass over the airport to observe the wind indicator, which was a flag on a pole. The flag indicated that the wind was gusty, straight down the runway. The student pilot entered the traffic pattern for runway 29. While on final approach, the student pilot experienced a strong crosswind 10-15 feet above the runway, and executed a go-around. On the student pilot's second attempt to land, he experienced the same wind conditions and again, elected to execute a go-around. On the student pilot's third attempt to land, the airplane touched down about 400-600 feet beyond the runway threshold, and departed the right side of the runway onto the grass. The student pilot applied full power and attempted to abort the landing; however, when he raised the nose of the airplane, the stall warning horn sounded. The student pilot realized that he would not be able to climb over an embankment and aborted the takeoff. The airplane continued into the embankment, sheared off the nose gear, and came to rest upright. A fire developed in the engine compartment and was extinguished by the student pilot.
Examination of the wreckage by the FAA inspector revealed that besides the landing gear damage, the firewall was buckled, the propeller tips were curled, and spar damage to the right wing was observed.
The pilot estimated the wind from 270 degrees at 20 knots, gusts to 25 knots.
The recorded weather at an airport located 11 miles southeast of W22, about the time of the accident, included winds from 300 degrees at 9 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5725W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-1299
- Airframe hours
- 5,629
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Razair, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 2001 · 105 hours before
- Departed
- W22 · Buckhannon, WV
- Destination
- CMH · Columbus, OH
- Airport
- W22 · Upshur County Regional Airport, runway 29, 3,500 × 75 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 1 in this make and model · 10 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- EKN, 11 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 N5725W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.