Piper PA-28-181 N8428H

Summary

On 21 January 2010 at about 20:15 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N8428H, operated by Alper Gert, 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.

Date

21 January 2010 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Walter J Kolazda Airport (GBR)

Coordinates

42.1842, -73.4044

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N8428H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Alper Gert

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Great Barrington → Great Barrington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10CA122

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper approach, failure to perform a go-around, and failure to maintain directional control while braking after a long landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot initially reported that as the airplane approached runway 11, it touched down about one-third down the runway and the left brake "stayed on a little longer" than the right brake, causing the airplane to depart the left side of the runway. The pilot subsequently reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Several witnesses, including two flight instructors, reported that the airplane approached high and fast, touched down about two-thirds down the runway, and veered off the left side of the runway during braking. Examination of the runway by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed even skid marks, beginning about 733 feet from the end of the runway, traveling off the left side of the runway. The FAA inspector added that the airplane subsequently struck a snowbank and sustained damage to the right wing spar. Examination of the brakes by the FAA inspector did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. The reported winds at an airport about 15 miles north of the accident site, about the time of the accident, were from 020 degrees at 6 knots; however, one of the flight instructor witnesses reported that the winds were favoring runway 29, at 5 to 10 knots, at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.