- Date
- July 6, 1995, 10:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Island Park, ID
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7487YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 24, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950706016689A
- Case key
- 42184
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 compensation for wind conditions. A factor to the accident was 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.
Analysis
The pilot stated that a gust of wind from the right blew the airplane off to the left side of the airstrip just after the airplane lifted off from runway 24. The airplane's landing gear collided with a fence that parallels the airstrip. The pilot was able to maneuver the airplane back to the airstrip where he reduced power and landed. The pilot reported that at the time of takeoff the wind was from 340 degrees at two knots with gusts to eight knots.
Factual narrative
On July 6, 1995, at 1045 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-30, N7487Y, collided with a fence shortly after takeoff from the Henry's Lake Airport, Island Park, Idaho. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private pilot and his passenger were not injured. The flight was departing from Island Park with an intended destination of Pocatello, Idaho.
During a telephone interview and subsequent written statement, the pilot stated that he was departing from runway 24. As the airplane lifted off at 80 miles per hour, a gust of wind from the right blew the airplane off to the left side of the runway. The airplane's landing gear collided with a fence that parallels the runway. The pilot stated that he was able to maneuver the airplane back to the runway where he reduced power and landed on the airstrip. Approximately 200 yards of wire and fence posts were damaged.
The pilot reported that the wind was from 340 degrees at two knots with gusts to eight knots.
The Idaho Airport Facilities Directory Airport Layout depicts a 4,600 foot by 170 foot turf airstrip that is surrounded by an electric fence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7487Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-548
- Airframe hours
- 9,457
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-CIA, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Paul K. Sharp
- Registered owner
- Robert W. Switzer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1994 · 93 hours before
- Destination
- PIH · Pocatello, ID
- Airport
- U53 · Henry'S Lake, runway 24, 4,600 × 170 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
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 451 total · 54 in this make and model · 380 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F
- Observed at
- WYS, 10 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.