- Date
- December 15, 1997, 22:00 local (Dec 16, 1997, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Philadelphia, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2932XPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report November 30, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971215044599A
- Case key
- 39516
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 proper distance and altitude during approach which resulted in an undershoot and collision with a fence.
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 reportedly practicing short field night landings at PNE to runway 24, a 7,000 foot long, 150 foot wide, asphalt runway. During the 12th landing, the airplane collided with a fence approximately 950 feet from the approach end of runway 24, and the airplane came to rest along the right side of the runway. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector did not disclose any evidence of mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any. The winds at the airport were reported from 230 degrees at 8 knots.
Factual narrative
On December 15, 1997, about 2200 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-161, N2932X, was substantially damaged when it undershot the runway and collided with a fence while landing at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot was reportedly practicing short field night landings at PNE to runway 24, a 7,000 foot long, 150 foot wide, asphalt runway. During the 12th landing, the airplane collided with a fence approximately 950 feet from the approach end of runway 24, and the airplane came to rest along the right side of the runway.
Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector did not disclose any evidence of mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any.
The winds at the airport were reported from 230 degrees at 8 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2932X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rao Chundu
- Departed
- PNE
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
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PNE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.