Piper PA 38-112 N2578L
1 May 1991 · Fresno, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 1 May 1991 at about 03:00 local time, a Piper PA 38-112 registered N2578L, operated by Golden Eagle Enterprises, was involved in an accident near Fresno, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 03:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fresno, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Fresno Air Terminal (FAT)
- Coordinates
- 36.7895, -119.7598
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 38-112
- Registration
- N2578L
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Golden Eagle Enterprises
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Bakersfield → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX91LA189
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS DURING THE LANDING TOUCHDOWN. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITY WHILE ANALYZING THE FORECAST WINDS DURING PREFLIGHT PLANNING, AND THE STRONG WIND CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED DURING HIS LANDING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A PIPER PA 38-112 COLLIDED WITH A SIGN POST AFTER A LOSS OF CONTROL ON RUNWAY 29R. THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE AIRPLANE YAWED LEFT DURING THE LANDING FLARE AND TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE NOSE 20 DEGREES LEFT OF CENTERLINE. THE AIRPLANE THEN ROLLED OUT ACROSS THE RUNWAY SHOULDER AND STRUCK A SIGN POST WITH THE RIGHT WING. THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE AIRPLANE BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED, 'I MADE AN ERROR IN JUDGEMENT IN DEPARTING WITH SUCH STRONG FORECASTED WINDS. THE GREATEST ERROR WAS IN JUDGING THAT I WAS CAPABLE OF HANDLING THOSE WINDS.' THE WINDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE REPORTED TO BE FROM 322 DEGREES AT 25 KNOTS GUSTING TO 29 KNOTS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-38 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr 1991 | Piper PA-38-112 | New Castle, Delaware, United States | Dawn Aeronautics, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 1991 | Piper PA-38-112 | Oceano, California, United States | Troy Dunn JR. | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Mar 1991 | Piper PA-38-112 | La Belle, Florida, United States | Grant, Warren & Newbury, Fred | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 1991 | Piper PA-38-112 | Butler, Pennsylvania, United States | Beaver Aviation Service Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Piper PA-38 | Bridgewater, South Dakota, United States | Paweltzki, Jerry | No injuries | - |
| 10 May 1991 | Piper PA-38-112 | Monticello, Minnesota, United States | Northland Aircraft Services | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |