- Date
- May 31, 1995, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bluffton, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8115LPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 31, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950531014429A
- Case key
- 38974
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
an improperly planned approach and touchdown, which resulted in an loss of directional control at touchdown, with the airplane departing the runway, and striking a ravine.
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 student pilot reported his final approach speed was, 'a little fast' as he came in for a landing. Additionally, he reported, '...very little crosswind. Windsock was limp...as soon as my wheels touched down, everything went to the left....' The airplane departed the left side of the runway and went down an embankment, into a ravine. Examination of the airplane revealed no problems with the brakes or the wheels.
Factual narrative
On May 31, 1995, at 1400 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA- 28-161, N8115L, was substantially damaged while landing at Bluffton, Ohio. The pilot, Gary Lemaitre, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the flight, which was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The student pilot reported that the flight originated at Sandusky, Ohio, with Bluffton, as the planned destination. In a signed statement, he reported:
Downwind for [runway] 23 - everything seemed normal. Final approach was a little fast (68 indicated). I noticed very little crosswind. Windsock was limp at 100 ft. Didn't feel like I hit the runway hard, but as soon as my wheels touched down, everything went to the left. Tail went to the right into a slide and then immediately into about a 15 ft ditch. No injuries noticed.
The nose landing gear collapsed, the fuselage was wrinkled, and the right landing gear penetrated the right wing. No mechanical failure or malfunction was found with the wheels or brakes.
Runway 23 was 4134 feet long. The landing threshold was displaced 400 feet. The airplane departed the runway 1600 feet from the displaced landing threshold.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8115L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8016119
- Airframe hours
- 4,959
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Griffing Flying Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Griffing - Sandusky Arpt Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 24, 1995 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- SKY · Sandusky, OH
- Destination
- 5G7
- Airport
- 5G7 · Bluffton, runway 23, 4,125 × 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 75 total · 55 in this make and model · 35 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
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 N8115L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.