Piper PA-38-112 N2323E

Summary

On 21 July 1985 at about 07:20 local time, a Piper PA-38-112 registered N2323E was involved in an accident near Graford, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

21 July 1985 at 07:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Graford, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Possum Kingdom (F35)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-38-112

Registration

N2323E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Plainview → Mineral Wells

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW85LA293

2 people had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT ARRIVED IN THE MINERAL WELLS, TX, AREA, HIS INTENDED DESTINATION, AND STATED HE COULDN'T SEE THE AIRPORT DUE TO THE ROTATING BEACON AND RUNWAY LIGHTS NOT OPERATING. NOTAMED TO THIS EFFECT, HOWEVER, THE AIRPORT SUPERVISOR STATED THAT TO THE BEST OF HIS KNOWLEDGE THE RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE OPERATING. THE PILOT DIVERTED TO POSSUM KINGDOM AIRPORT NEAR GRAFORD, TX. WITH ONLY A FEW MINUTES OF USABLE FUEL. HE ARRIVED IN THE AREA AT 7000 FEET MSL AND STARTED TO SPIRAL DOWN OVER THE AIRPORT. DURING THE SPIRAL, AT 6000 FEET MSL, THE ENGINE QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION, THE SPIRAL CONTINUED AND HE ROLLED OUT ON FINAL APPROACH TOO HIGH AND FAST. HE DELIBERATELY TOUCHED DOWN BESIDE THE RUNWAY IN SOFT TERRAIN TO PREVENT AN OVERRUN WHICH WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH BUILDINGS. THE TOUCHDOWN WAS RATHER HARD, CAUSING THE NOSE AND RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEARS TO COLLAPSE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN FLIPPED INVERTED AND STOPPED.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.