- Date
- January 30, 2010, 13:10 local (21:10 UTC)
- Place
- Crystal, NV
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured; on the ground: 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9083WPiper PA-28-235
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20100130026669A
- Case key
- 75322
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 failure to maintain clearance from a ground vehicle during a low-altitude maneuver.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was returning to his home airport and was descending for landing when he saw his friend's car on the dirt road below him. He decided to make a 180-degree turn, and rolled out facing the car. The pilot stated that it looked like he was going to be low so he started a recovery from the descent. The closure rate was too fast and the left main landing gear of the airplane struck the vehicle. The pilot reported that he continued the climb to about 200 feet and made another turn to check on his friend. The pilot subsequently made a forced landing on the road. During the landing roll, the left wing contacted the top of the berm next to the road. During the collision with the vehicle, the left main landing gear had been sheared off and the driver of the vehicle sustained serious injuries.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was returning to his home airport and descending for landing, when he saw his friends' car on the dirt road below him. He decided to make a 180-degree turn, and rolled out facing the car. The pilot stated that it looked like he was going to be low so he started a recovery from the descent. The closure rate was too fast and the left main landing gear of the airplane struck the vehicle. The pilot reported that he continued the climb to about 200 feet and made another turn to check on his friend. The pilot subsequently made a forced landing on the road. During the landing roll, the left wing contacted the top of the berm next to the road. During the collision with the vehicle, the left main landing gear had been sheared off.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9083W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-10686
- Airframe hours
- 2,563
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming O-540-B4B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Earl R. Griffin
- Registered owner
- Earl R. Griffin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 2009 · 49 hours before
- Departed
- BTY · Beatty, NV
- Destination
- Crystal, NV
- Airport
- Crystal
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
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 6, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,954 total · 1,514 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- VGT, 30 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 5, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.