- Date
- July 2, 1994, 11:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Put-In-Bay, OH
- Injuries
- 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5716FPiper PA-32R-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940702017489A
- Case key
- 38774
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 inadequate control and failure to maintain directional control which resulted in collision with a sign.
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 wrote in his statement that after touchdown the left landing gear 'felt funny,' and the airplane pulled to the left. The pilot applied full power, and the airplane 'pulled...to the right.' The pilot brought the airplane to a stop by reducing the power, applying the brakes, and right rudder. According to a witness the airplane, 'came in, hot,' and touched down before the runway numbers. The left wing 'dipped left, 20-30 degrees,' the pilot attempted to abort the landing by adding power to the engine. The left wing dipped and struck a sign near the runway, which resulted in the wing separating, and causing the airplane to veer off to the left. Tire marks showed that the airplane landed on the left edge of the runway.
Factual narrative
On July 2, 1994, about 1145 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA- 32R-300, N5716F, piloted by Mr. Richard Fischer, struck a sign while landing at the Monica Drake Airport, Put-in-Bay, Ohio. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and 5 passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was operated under 14 CFR 91.
According to the pilot's statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, after touchdown, "...[the] left gear felt funny aircraft pulled to the left...." The pilot wrote that he applied full power and the airplane turned to the right, and was heading toward some parked airplanes. To avoid hitting the parked airplanes the pilot applied right rudder, reduced the power to the engine, applied full brakes, and stopped the airplane.
A witness to the accident watched N5716F land, and wrote in her statement:
The aircraft came in, hot, touched down before the 22#'s on the runway. His left wing dipped left, 20-30 degrees-the pilot applied power, looking as if to abort the landing, and the left wing again dipped down to the left and hit the sign near the runway...the wing separated...the aircraft, on the ground, veered of to the left....
According to the FAA tire marks showed that the airplane landed on the left edge of a 22 feet wide runway. The airplane pulled to the left of the runway, the left wing struck an airport sign, and the left main landing gear collapsed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5716F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R7780018
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David L. Abshire
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CMH · Columbus, OH
- Destination
- OH30
- Airport
- OH30 · Monica Drake, runway 22, 2,870 × 22 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 243 total · 19 in this make and model · 179 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CLE, 59 nm away
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 N5716F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.