- Date
- February 17, 2007, 10:47 local (15:47 UTC)
- Place
- Millbrook, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N47480Piper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 29, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070217004549A
- Case key
- 65326
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 a proper glidepath to the runway.
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 reported that "the airplane was performing really good" throughout the flight and as he entered the traffic pattern for landing at the destination airport. The pilot perceived that he was "high" on final approach, and slipped the airplane to increase the descent rate. On short final, the airplane was "low" and struck a snowbank that crossed the approach end of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. Upon striking the snowbank, the pilot aborted the landing and diverted safely to a nearby airport staffed with crash, fire, and rescue personnel.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that "the airplane was performing really good" throughout the flight and as he entered the traffic pattern for landing at the destination airport. The pilot perceived that he was "high" on final approach, and slipped the airplane to increase the descent rate. On short final, the airplane was "low" and struck a snowbank that crossed the approach end of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. Upon striking the snowbank, the pilot aborted the landing and diverted safely to a nearby airport staffed with crash, fire, and rescue personnel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N47480
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7890078
- Airframe hours
- 6,705
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lehigh Valley Flying Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ABE · Allentown, PA
- Destination
- POU · Poughkeepsie, NY
- Airport
- 44N · Sky Acres Airport, runway 17, 3,828 × 60 ft
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
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2005
- Flight hours
- 82 total · 28 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
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 N47480 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.