- Date
- July 31, 2007, 11:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Montauk, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N284HPPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 66337
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 delayed decision to abort the landing, which resulted in an impact with a tree.
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
Following an uneventful flight, the pilot approached the destination airport. While turning on to the final leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot saw an airplane pulling out from the apron and onto the runway. The pilot elected to make a 360-degree right turn in order to provide additional space between himself and the other airplane. He then continued the approach, but "came in too high and therefore floated too far along the runway." After touching down once, the airplane "ballooned," then contacted the runway again "hard." With insufficient runway remaining, the pilot decided to go-around. As the airplane accelerated, the pilot turned the airplane to the left to avoid striking the trees ahead of him; however, the left main landing gear struck one of the trees, and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the Piper PA-28-181, following an uneventful flight, he approached the destination airport. While turning on to the final leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot saw an airplane pulling out from the apron and onto the runway. The pilot elected to make a 360-degree right turn in order to provide additional space between himself and the other airplane. He then continued the approach, but "came in too high and therefore floated too far along the runway." After touching down once, the airplane "ballooned," then contacted the runway again "hard." With insufficient runway remaining, the pilot decided to go around. As the airplane accelerated, the pilot turned the airplane to the left to avoid striking the trees ahead of him; however, the left main landing gear struck one of the trees, and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N284HP
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2843372
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Archer HP LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- BVY · Beverly, MA
- Destination
- MTP · Montauk, NY
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- MTK · Montauk Airport, runway 6, 3,481 × 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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 263 total · 67 in this make and model · 17 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- GON, 16 nm away