# NTSB NYC06LA139: Piper PA-28-180, N1654B, Du Bois, PA, June 5, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 5, 2006, 16:15 local (20:15 UTC) - Place: Du Bois, PA - Coordinates: 41.178054, -78.898612 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.1781&lon=-78.8986&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 25, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 63845 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC06LA139 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/63845/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC06LA139 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions, which resulted in a stall and subsequent impact with the ground. A factor was the wind gust as reported by the pilot. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, landing - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - runway ## Analysis As the pilot flared for landing a gust of wind lifted the airplane at "an extremely high angle to the runway, and then quit." The airplane then "stalled," impacted the ground, and caught fire. The pilot reported he had accumulated 528 hours of total flight experience at the time of the accident. He additionally reported experiencing no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector also revealed no mechanical deficiencies. The winds reported at the airport, at the time of the accident were variable at 3 knots. ## Factual narrative On June 5, 2006, at 1615 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N1654B, was substantially damaged during landing at Du Bois-Jefferson County Airport (DUJ), Du Bois, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot received serious injuries and the pilot-rated passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated at the Zelienople Municipal Airport (8G7), Zelienople, Pennsylvania. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot-rated passenger, as the pilot flared for landing, a gust of wind lifted the airplane at "an extremely high angle to the runway, and then quit." The airplane "stalled," nosed over, and impacted the ground. A postcrash fire ensued; however, both occupants were able to egress prior to the airplane being consumed. The pilot reported the same sequence of events, and additionally reported there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. A witness who was also a commercial airline pilot, observed the airplane flying at an altitude of approximately 10 feet over the approach end of runway 07. The airplane appeared to be performing a "normal landing" until the airplane "was lifted in a vertical motion" to an altitude of approximately 30 feet. The airplane then nosed over and impacted the runway. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no preimpact mechanical deficiencies with the airplane. The propeller displayed rotational damage, and flight control continuity was confirmed to the flight controls. According to the pilot, at the time of the accident, he had accumulated 528 hours of total flight experience. The weather recorded at DUJ, at 1556, included variable winds at 3 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 10,000 feet, temperature 75 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 29.95 inches Mercury. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1654B](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1654B-2008-08-21), registration cancelled 2008-08-21, S/N 28-7305281, built 1973 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-28-180 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28-180](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (registry code 7102808) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28-7305281 - Airframe hours: 3041 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Condor Aero Club - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 1, 2005 - Departed: 8G7, Zelienople, PA - Destination: DUJ, Du Bois, PA - Airport: DUJ, Du-Bois Jefferson Cty Airport, runway 07, 5,504 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 70; injuries: serious; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review March 1, 2006; seat: left; flight hours: 528 total, 77 in this make and model, 448 as pilot in command, 15 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 29.95 inHg - Observed at: DUJ ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20060605010789A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060605010789A), Jun 5, 2006: Piper PA28180, Du Bois, PA, Destroyed. (-23) General aviation accident, dubois Jefferson county airport, PA, 6/5/06, N1654B, a PA-28-180, crashed on runway 07, at 1515 dst. Local authorities… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.