Piper PA-28-180 N7303W

Summary

On 3 September 2011 at about 01:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N7303W, operated by Mark W. Switzer, was involved in an accident near Gerlach, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 September 2011 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Gerlach, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

40.5864, -119.5967

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N7303W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Mark W. Switzer

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Susanville → Gerlach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11CA425

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s decision to land at an unknown off-airport location.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was flying the airplane over a large open desert playa. He decided to land after flying low over the surface to determine if he could make a safe landing. The surface appeared to be flat and dry. Upon touching down, the landing gear dug into the about 8-inch deep soft tufa. The airplane cartwheeled, resulting in separation of the left wing and bending and wrinkling the left horizontal stabilizer. The left side of the fuselage, the engine mount, and the firewall were also bent and wrinkled.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.