- Date
- June 28, 1997, 00:10 local (04:10 UTC)
- Place
- Frankfort, NY
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8139CPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 10, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970628016289A
- Case key
- 39389
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 misjudgment of distance and speed on final approach, and his failure to attain the proper touchdown point during landing. A factor in the accident was the night light condition.
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 was on a night approach to a 2,550-foot paved, lighted runway. The pilot stated that his approach was normal and that he felt no reason to believe anything was wrong. During the landing flare the airplane floated and touched down long. The pilot said he did not have enough runway available to go around. The airplane departed the end of the runway continued down a 60-foot embankment into a swamp.
Factual narrative
On June 28, 1997, about 0010 eastern daylight time, a Piper, PA-28R-200, N8139C, was substantially damaged during landing at the Frankfort-Highland Airport, Frankfort, New York. The certificated private pilot and three passengers were not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan had been filed for the personal flight which originated at Wiscasset, Maine, about 1010. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, and during a telephone interview, the pilot stated he entered a left downwind for runway 31, a 2,550 foot paved, lighted runway. The pilot said that his approach was normal and that he felt no reason to believe anything was wrong. During the landing flare, the airplane floated. The pilot said that he touched down long and realized he did not have enough runway available to go-around. The airplane departed the end of the runway continued down a 60 foot embankment, and into a swamp.
The pilot reported no malfunctions with the airplane or engine. He also reported his total flight experience to be about 165 hours, including about 40 hours in make and model.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8139C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7635131
- Airframe hours
- 5,136
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Larry C. Schoene
- Registered owner
- Taildragger Flyers Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 5, 1996 · 163 hours before
- Departed
- 1W1 · Wiscasset, ME
- Destination
- 6B4 · NY
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 6B4 · Frankfort-Highland, runway 31, 2,550 × 30 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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 165 total · 43 in this make and model · 126 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- UCA, 5 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.