- Date
- May 31, 2008, 22:30 local (Jun 1, 2008, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- Wildwood, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3024ZPiper PA-28-161
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080531842579A
- Case key
- 68138
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 clearance from trees during approach. Contributing to the accident were the dark night conditions.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the PA-28-161 was making a straight-in visual approach on a "very dark" night. He reported that the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) showed "glide good with two white and two red," and the altimeter indicated 1,000 feet mean sea level (msl) when he was approximately 2 miles north of the airport. The pilot did not reference the altimeter or PAPI again, and did not turn on the landing light. The runway was equipped with high intensity runway edge lights, which the pilot activated. About 1/2 mile from the airport, he could see car headlights on the road just before the airport fence. Upon hearing a "loud bang" and feeling an impact with trees to the right wing, the pilot applied full power, pulled back on the yoke, and the airplane rolled right. He was able to climb the airplane and achieve wings-level flight with the application of full left aileron. He flew a traffic pattern and returned to land with "heavy left aileron and rudder."
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the PA-28-161, he was making a straight-in visual approach on a "very dark" night. The approach was to runway 19, a 4,998-foot long, 150-foot wide, asphalt runway. He reported that the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) showed "glide good with two white and two red," and the altimeter indicated 1,000 feet mean sea level (msl) when he was approximately 2 miles north of the airport. The pilot did not reference the altimeter or PAPI again, and did not turn on the landing light. The runway was equipped with high intensity runway edge lights, which the pilot activated. About 1/2 mile from the airport, he said that he could see car headlights on the road just before the airport fence. Upon hearing a "loud bang" and feeling an impact with trees on the right wing, the pilot applied full power, pulled back on the yoke, and the airplane rolled right. He was able to climb the airplane and achieve wings-level flight with the application of full left aileron. He flew a traffic pattern and returned to land with "heavy left aileron and rudder." Inspection of the airplane after landing revealed that the right wing had sustained substantial damage.
Reported weather at the airport about the time of the accident included a broken ceiling at 400 feet, wind 190 at 11 knots, gusting to 16 knots, and an altimeter setting of 29.82 inches of mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3024Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7916399
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Joseph Cherill
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- N81 · Hammonton, NJ
- Destination
- WWD · Wildwood, NJ
- Airport
- WWD · Cape May County Airport, runway 19, 4,998 × 150 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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 50 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 190° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- WWD
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.