- Date
- August 14, 1988, 17:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Wellsboro, PA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N979LAPiper PA-32RT-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880814032479A
- Case key
- 36212
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 attempting a takeoff in an over grossed aiarcraft in high density altitude and flew off the end of the runway into high grass.
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
During a second attempted takeoff, the first being aborted, the aircraft flew off the end of the runway in ground effect into tall grass. The pilot reported that the aircraft was over gross weight and that he was taking off in high density altitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N979LA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32RT-300 (PA-32RT-30)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R798072
- Airframe hours
- 2,268
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1G59, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Laverne M. Goodreau
- Registered owner
- International Flight Training
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 6, 1988 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- N38 · Wellsboro, PA
- Destination
- 7A1 · Greenville, SC
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- N38 · Grand Canyon St., runway 27, 2,100 × 72 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 1,820 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.