# NTSB SEA96LA059: Piper PA-23-150, N2237P, Spanaway, WA, February 19, 1996 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: February 18, 1996, 16:30 local (Feb 19, 1996, 00:30 UTC) - Place: Spanaway, WA - Coordinates: 47.049919, -122.360633 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.0499&lon=-122.3606&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 10, 1996 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 42337 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA96LA059 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/42337/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA96LA059 ## Probable cause failure of the pilot to use all available runway, including the overrun area, to stop the airplane. Factors relating to the accident were: the wet runway, and the pilot's inability to see the overrun from the runway due to the sloping terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water collision with object, landing - roll - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - wet (contributing factor) - all available runway - not used, pilot in command (cause) - visual illusion, pilot in command (contributing factor) - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The pilot attempted a landing on a wet, 1,600-foot-long runway. Performance charts from an owner's manual for the aircraft type indicated a nominal landing distance of approximately 600 to 680 feet depending on gross weight. The pilot stated that the aircraft 'continued at [the] same speed with little or no slowing' upon application of wheel brakes, and that 'as [the] end of [the] runway...approached [he] could not see what lay past [the] end of [the] runway.' The pilot stated that he then 'exited [the] paved runway onto grass with hopes of slowing [and] stopping [the aircraft] over a greater distance.' After the pilot departed the pavement, the aircraft went over an embankment after slowing to approximately 10 MPH and collided with trees. Aerial imagery of the airport in a state airport directory and photos taken by on-scene investigators showed a 600-foot-long overrun area beyond the end of the runway; however, the overrun was not visible from the runway due to the slope of the terrain. ## Factual narrative On February 18, 1996, approximately 1630 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-23-150 Apache, N2237P, sustained substantial damage when it went over an embankment and collided with trees during landing roll at Shady Acres Airport, Spanaway, Washington. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. The 14 CFR 91 flight originated at Western Airport, a private airport near McKenna, Washington. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. In his report of the accident, the pilot stated: "...approach speed 80 mph...touched down approx[imately] 1/4 way down runway. Yoke full back for aerodynamic braking. Applied full brakes at approximately mid way down runway....aircraft continued at same speed with little or no slowing. [Runway] was wet and it was raining lightly. As end of runway...approached [the pilot] could not see what lay past end of runway. Pilot exited paved runway onto grass with hopes of slowing [and] stopping [the aircraft] over a greater distance. [The aircraft] slowed and in [the pilot's] opinion was only going 10 mph when [the aircraft] went over edge...and dropped approximately 10' into trees." The accident occurred while landing on runway 34, listed in the U. S. Government Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD) as an 1,800 by 20 foot asphalt surface. The A/FD also indicates that runway 34 has a 200-foot displaced threshold, leaving 1,600 feet available for landing. Reference to the owner's handbook for the 1959 PA-23-160 aircraft (according to FAA records, the accident aircraft was a 1956 model) indicated a landing distance of approximately 680 feet at a gross weight of 3,500 pounds, and approximately 600 feet at a gross weight of 3,200 pounds, under the following conditions: standard altitude, flaps down, and temperature 60 degrees F. The landing distance chart in the owner's handbook did not specify whether this represents dry or wet runway performance, and did not contain any correction factors for variations in runway surface conditions. Photos of the airport taken by on-scene investigators, as well as overhead photography in the 1994 Pilot's Guide to Washington Airports (Washington State Department of Transportation), showed a cleared and graded dirt/grass overrun area approximately 600 feet long off the end of runway 34, although this area slopes downward beyond the end of the runway and is therefore not visible from the runway. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2237P](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2237P-2013-06-18), registration cancelled 2013-06-18, S/N 23-846, built 1956 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-23-150 - Registry model: [Piper PA-23](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23) (registry code 7102302) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 23-846 - Airframe hours: 5711 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-A3B 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Dale Q. Nichols - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 15, 1995, 42 hours before - Departed: MCKENNA, WA - Destination: WA61 - Airport: WA61, Shady Acres, runway 34, 1,600 × 20 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 2,032 total, 1,129 in this make and model, 1,892 as pilot in command, 5 in the last 90 days, 4 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 2,000 ft broken - Temperature: 50 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19960218001959A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960218001959A), Feb 18, 1996: Piper PA23150, Spanaway, WA, Substantial damage. Overran runway landing. Went over embankment into trees. 1600FT available and possible hydroplaning factors. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.