Piper PA-30 N8034Y
30 April 2009 · Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 30 April 2009 at about 17:05 local time, a Piper PA-30 registered N8034Y, operated by Fred Kantor, was involved in an accident near Great Barrington, Massachusetts, 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 17:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States
- Nearest airport
- Walter J. Koladza Airport (GBR)
- Coordinates
- 42.1842, -73.4042
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30
- Registration
- N8034Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Fred Kantor
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- New Haven → Great Barrington
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA09CA277
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's improper decision to land with a tailwind.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was flying to the accident airport to have scheduled maintenance accomplished on the airplane's cabin heater. The airplane approached Runway 29, a 2,579-foot-long, 50-foot-wide, asphalt runway. While crossing the runway threshold, the pilot felt that the "ground speed was faster" than he thought. After touching down "about one-third down" the runway, the pilot utilized maximum braking and instead of running off the end of the runway, he elected to "ground loop" the airplane. The airplane veered to the right, departed the paved portion of the runway, and slid down into a ditch approximately 20 feet from the edge of the runway, damaging the left wing spar. The pilot also reported that, after exiting the airplane, the windsock was varying; however, it appeared to be indicating a quartering tailwind. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector confirmed continuity to all control surfaces and damage to the outboard section of the wing spar. The recorded wind at an airport located about 15 miles north of the accident site, about the time of the accident, was variable at 3 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-30 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Dec 2009 | Piper PA-30 | Port Mansfield, Texas, United States | Harvey W. Kiniken, Jr | Fatal | 2 |
| 22 Jul 2009 | Piper PA-30 | Walla Walla, Washington, United States | Walla Walla University | No injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 2009 | Piper PA-30 | Lumberton, Mississippi, United States | Robert J Albrecht | No injuries | - |
| 10 May 2009 | Piper PA-30 | Port Sudan, Sudan | Yeman Flight Academy | Fatal | 2 |
| 3 Jul 2009 | Piper PA-30 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | Alan Muhs | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Feb 2009 | Piper PA-30 | Lakeville, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Apr 2009 | Cessna 402C | Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States | Hyannis Air Services Inc | No injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 2009 | Piper J5A | Holland, Massachusetts, United States | Horan Mark E | No injuries | - |
| 10 Mar 2009 | Hughes 369D | Lee, Massachusetts, United States | Air2 LLC | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 2009 | Piper PA28-151 | Mansfield, Massachusetts, United States | Plane Nonsense Inc | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jun 2009 | Airbus A320 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | USAirways | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jun 2009 | Piper PA-28-161 | Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States | Alpha One Flight School | Minor injuries | - |