Plane Crash List

Piper PA-28R-180 N4586J

4 April 2001 · Lexington, Virginia, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 4 April 2001 at about 11:05 local time, a Piper PA-28R-180 registered N4586J, operated by Donald P. Jeffer, Jr., was involved in an accident near Lexington, Virginia, United States. 2 people were 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 11:05
Classification
Accident
Location
Lexington, Virginia, United States
Nearest airport
Private Airstrip (NONE)
Coordinates
37.7791, -79.4395
Aircraft
Piper PA-28R-180
Registration
N4586J
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Donald P. Jeffer, Jr.
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Lexington → Weyer's Cave
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
NYC01LA092

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
2 0 0 0 2

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the runway conditions. Factors included the soggy runway conditions, and the lack of available takeoff performance data in the owners manual.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot attempted a takeoff from a "slight upslope," 2,200-foot grass strip with random low spots. The takeoff was attempted after several days of rain, and the ground was still soggy. After liftoff, the airplane struck a 6-inch square wooden fence post at the departure end of the runway, which tore skin off a wing, and damaged the wing spar, aileron and anti-servo trim tab. The pilot then landed the airplane ahead, in an open field, about 300 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. During the landing, the right main landing gear collapsed. No mechanical malfunctions contributed to the accident. The owners handbook stated that takeoffs should be made with flaps up, but only provided takeoff distance data for airplanes configured with flaps 25 degrees, and maximum power from a paved, level, and dry runway. Winds were about 70 degrees off the airplane's nose, at 9 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Piper PA-28R accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
11 Nov 2001 Piper PA-28R-200
N3057R
Cattaraugus, New York, United States - No injuries -
14 Jun 2001 Piper PA-28R-180
N3718T
Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States - No injuries -
26 Jul 2001 Piper PA-28R
N47839
Orlando, Florida, United States - No injuries -
10 Nov 2001 Piper PA-28R-200
N9466K
Puyallup, Washington, United States Spanaflight, Inc. No injuries -
15 Feb 2001 Piper PA-28R-201
N120CC
Webb Lake, Wisconsin, United States - Fatal 4
1 Jun 2001 Piper PA-28R-180
N3708T
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States - Minor injuries -

All 1,342 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
15 Nov 2001 Cessna 172S
N346ME
Leesburg, Virginia, United States - Serious injuries -
20 Mar 2001 Piper PA-28-RT201
N2380U
Manassas, Virginia, United States - Fatal 1
12 May 2001 Cessna U206E
N948CG
New Market, Virginia, United States - Fatal 1
30 Aug 2001 Embraer ERJ-135ER
N25504
Richmond, Virginia, United States - Serious injuries -
3 Sep 2001 Andre MINI MAX 1500R
N962JA
Chesapeake, Virginia, United States - No injuries -
11 Sep 2001 Boeing 757-200
N644AA
Arlington, Virginia, United States American Airlines Fatal 64

All 170,864 records in United States