Piper PA-24-250 N5457P

Summary

On 26 June 2007 at about 19:15 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N5457P was involved in an accident near Machias, Maine, 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.

Date

26 June 2007 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Machias, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Machias Valley (MVM)

Coordinates

44.7031, -67.4786

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N5457P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Machias → Machias

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC07CA150

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of a Piper PA-24-250 used runway 36 for departure while the windsock was indicating a west wind. The temperature was approximately 83 degrees Fahrenheit, and the pilot noticed a reduced climb performance. After a local flight of approximately 15 minutes, the pilot returned for a full stop landing. He did not recheck the windsock, and elected to use runway 36. During his landing attempt, the pilot noticed that the airplane "wouldn't settle." The pilot considered aborting the landing, but decided against it due to the airplane's position, and the reduced climb performance during the previous takeoff. After touchdown, he retracted the wing flaps in order to obtain maximum braking performance. However, this action also delayed brake application, since the airplane was only equipped with hand-activated brakes. At approximately 30 mph, the pilot steered the airplane off the right side of the runway, in order to avoid running off the end and incurring more severe damage. The airplane continued down an embankment, and was stopped by underbrush and trees approximately 250 feet beyond the runway. According to an eyewitness, the airplane touched down on the last third of the runway, and the wind was from the south at the time of the event.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.