- Date
- May 15, 2003, 12:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Gaithersburg, MD
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1514XPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-07
- FAA report
- 20030515009059A
- Case key
- 57006
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 failure to maintain airspeed, resulting in an inadvertent stall.
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
While on the final approach leg of a simulated forced landing, the airspeed began to decrease to 70 mph, and the pilot added power. About 1/4-mile short of the runway, the airspeed decreased to 60 mph, "presumably because of loss of 10 knot headwind," and the airplane stalled. The airplane descended into a grass field short of the runway, and came to rest upright. The winds recorded at a nearby airport, about the time of the accident, were from 040 degrees at 5 knots.
Factual narrative
On May 15, 2003, at 1215 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-200, N1514X, was substantially damaged while landing at the Montgomery County Airpark, Gaithersburg, Maryland. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he was conducting touch and go's to runway 14, a 4,201-foot long, 75-foot wide asphalt runway. On the seventh landing, the pilot elected to perform a simulated power-off, "gliding approach," to the runway. While on the downwind leg, abeam the approach end of the runway, the pilot reduced the throttle to 1,000 rpm's, performed the landing checklist, and added one notch of flaps. He then turned on to the base leg at an airspeed of 80 mph. As the turn on to the final approach leg was made, at an altitude of 350 feet agl, the airspeed began to decrease to 70 mph, and the pilot added power. About 1/4-mile short of the runway, the airspeed decreased to 60 mph, "presumably because of loss of 10 knot headwind," and the airplane stalled. The airplane descended into a grass field short of the runway, and came to rest upright.
The winds recorded at a nearby airport, about the time of the accident, were from 040 degrees at 5 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1514X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7535305
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Octopus Flying Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- GAI · Gaithersburg, MD
- Destination
- GAI · Gaithersburg, MD
- Airport
- GAI · Montgomery County Airpark, runway 14, 4,201 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- November 14, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 360 total · 19 in this make and model · 295 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- FDK, 18 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.