- Date
- July 31, 1999, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Greencastle, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5801PPiper PA24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990731043279A
- Case key
- 47039
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 misjudgement of speed and distance during the approach and his failure to perform a go around.
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 airplane was on approach to a 1,800 foot long, turf runway. When the airplane was above the runway threshold, the pilot pulled the power back; however, the airplane 'floated' about 1,000 feet down the runway. The pilot then retracted the flaps and the airplane touched down. The pilot stated that braking action on the runway was poor, and when he noticed the airplane was approaching the trees located at the end of the runway, he intentionally 'ground-looped' the airplane. The airplane's left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing contacted the runway. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions of the airframe or engine.
Factual narrative
On July 31, 1999, about 1430 eastern daylight time, a Piper, PA24-250, N5801P, was substantially damaged while landing at the Cumberland Valley Airstrip Airport, Greencastle, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed the Williamsport Regional Airport, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, about 1330. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The airplane was landing on runway 09, a 1,800 foot long, 150 foot wide, turf runway.
In a telephone interview, the pilot stated he conducted a short field approach to the runway. On final approach, the airplane's flaps were fully extended and the pilot maintained an airspeed of 80 miles per hour. When the airplane was above the runway threshold, the pilot pulled the power back; however, the airplane "floated" about 1,000 feet down the runway. The pilot then retracted the flaps and the airplane touched down. The pilot stated that braking action on the runway was poor, and when he noticed the airplane was approaching the trees located at the end of the runway, he intentionally "ground-looped" the airplane.
The airplane's left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing contacted the runway.
The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions of the airframe or engine.
The pilot reported about 1,150 hours of total flight experience, of which 970 hours, were in the accident airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5801P
- Reported as
- Piper PA24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24881
- Airframe hours
- 4,200
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Claude J. Heffner
- Registered owner
- Scs Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 10, 1999 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- IPT · Williamsport, PA
- Destination
- 74W
- Airport
- 74W · Cumberland Valley, runway 9, 1,800 × 150 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
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,065 total · 915 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HGR, 7 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 N5801P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.