- Date
- July 1, 1994, 13:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mccall, ID
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N24201Piper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 26, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940701018979A
- Case key
- 41964
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 inadequate preflight planning and attempted operation which exceeded the performance capability of the airplane. Factors include his overconfidence in the aircraft's ability.
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 elected to attempt a landing and takeoff from the mountain airstrip after being cautioned about using runways that were even longer than the airstrip at the accident site. The aircraft was unable to lift off and maintain adequate flying speed, due to insufficient performance for the airstrip and existing conditions.
Factual narrative
On July 1, 1994, approximately 1300 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-38-112, N24201, sustained substantial damage during takeoff from Copenhaver airstrip, an unimproved airstrip about fifty miles northeast of McCall, Idaho. The private pilot and his passenger were uninjured. No flight plan was filed for the flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The ELT did not activate.
The pilot stated that he did a preflight, runup, and full power takeoff using one notch of flaps. He said that the aircraft lifted off and remained in ground effect for a couple hundred feet before reaching the end of the 1100 foot runway and descending into the river. The pilot had flown into the airstrip about 0900. Boise, Idaho weather was clear, with temperature of 86 degrees, and barometric pressure of 29.96, at 1300.
The pilot did not provide an accident report. The operator stated that, earlier that day, he had told the pilot--who wanted to go fishing--not to take the aircraft into several longer airstrips.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24201
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 1,700
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 118 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Rocky Mountain Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 30, 1994 · 2 hours before
- Destination
- S67 · Nampa, ID
- Airport
- Copenhaver Private
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
- 19
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 80 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.