Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-28-180 near Thomasville, PA — 2012-01-29

Final reportERA12FA163
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Date
2012-01-29
Location
Thomasville, PA, USA
Airport
THV
Aircraft
PIPER PA-28-180
Registration
N1352T
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during an approach in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a cross-country flight and landed at his destination airport, on runway 17 without incident. He taxied back to the beginning of the runway, took off, and entered a left traffic pattern for another approach to the same runway. The airplane was on final approach when it stalled and descended toward the ground. The airplane's left wing initially impacted the ground, followed by the nose. The airplane came to rest in a corn field about 1/4-mile from the approach end, and about 400 feet to the left of the extended runway centerline. Examination of the accident airplane’s global positioning system data revealed that the flight track data for the accident flight was similar to the flight track during the previous landing; however, the ground speeds during the final approach phase of the accident flight were significantly slower than during the previous landing. The airplane’s last recorded ground speed was 45 knots. According to the airplane’s performance charts, its stall speed for the landing configuration would have been 53 knots. Postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The wind reported at the airport about the time accident was from 230 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 20 knots.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the approach when the airplane was low and slow.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 24 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents24

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