NYC99LA133

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA28-140 · Alliance, OH · May 29, 1999

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
May 29, 1999, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
Place
Alliance, OH
Injuries
1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N9654WPiper PA28-140
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report August 3, 2000
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19990529006029A
Case key
46468

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Factors in this accident were the crosswind conditions and wind gusts.

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.

Loss of control - in flightLanding - flare/touchdown
Weather condition - crosswindFactor
Weather condition - gustsFactor
Airspeed - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Stall - inadvertentPilot in command
In flight collision with terrain/waterLanding
Terrain condition - runway

Analysis

The airplane was on approach to land on runway 27. According to the pilot, when the airplane was near the approach end of the runway, about 10 to 15 feet about the ground, a gust of wind lifted the airplane's left wing more than 45 degrees. During recovery, the airplane stalled, and impacted the ground. Winds reported at an airport about 16 miles west of the accident site, were from 270 degrees, at 7 knots, with variability between 230, and 300 degrees. The airport manager described the weather conditions at the airport as 'breezy,' and estimated that the winds around the time of the accident were from 280 to 290 degrees, at 11 or 12 knots.

Factual narrative

On May 29, 1999, about 1530 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA28-140, N9654W, was substantially damaged while landing at the Barber Airport (2D1), Alliance, Ohio. The certificated private pilot sustained minor injures. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed the Valley Vista Airport, Brainbridge, Ohio, about 1400. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The airplane was on approach to runway 27, a 2,088 foot long, 130 foot wide, turf runway.

The airport owner witnessed the accident from the north side of the runway. In telephone interview, he stated the airplane was about 100 to 125 feet from the approach end of the runway, and about 15 to 20 feet above the ground, when it rolled to the right approximately 25 or 30 degrees. The airplane was starting to recover, when it pitched down and impacted the ground with it's nose gear, and right main landing gear. The airplane came to rest on the threshold of the runway.

In a written statement, the pilot said the airplane was 10 to 15 feet above the end of the runway, when a gust of wind raised the airplane's left wing more than 45 degrees. He further stated, "...I cranked in left aileron and almost had the wings level,[when the airplane] stalled out on me."

Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector did not reveal any pre-impact abnormalities of the airframe or engine.

Winds reported at an airport about 16 miles west of the accident site, at 1551, were from 270 degrees, at 7 knots, with variability between 230, and 300 degrees. The airport manager described the weather conditions at the airport as "breezy," and estimated that the winds around the time of the accident were from 280 to 290 degrees, at 11 or 12 knots.

Aircraft

Registration
N9654W
Reported as
Piper PA28-140
Category
Airplane
Serial number
2823115
Airframe hours
2,200
Engine
Lycoming O-320E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Lyle D. Boser
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · May 14, 1998 · 2,173 hours before
Departed
9I7 · Bainbridge, OH
Destination
2D1
Airport
2D1 · Barber, runway 27, 2,088 × 130 ft, grass/turf

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
71
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
651 total · 550 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
270° at 7 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
8,000 ft broken
Temperature
82 °F, dew point 55 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
CAK, 18 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.