Piper PA-32-260 N4727S

Summary

On 12 May 2012 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N4727S was involved in an accident near Applegate, Michigan, 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

12 May 2012 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Applegate, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

43.3519, -82.5583

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N4727S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Applegate → Lexington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA339

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s decision to attempt to take off from an unimproved field, which resulted in a collapsed nose landing gear.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Earlier in the day, the pilot inadvertently landed on a plowed field; the airplane was not damaged during the landing. Later, the pilot returned and attempted to take off. The airplane's nose landing gear collapsed when it got stuck in the mud during the takeoff. The pilot reported that his intent was to taxi the airplane on local roads to a nearby airfield; however, in a recording of a conversation between the pilot and a flight service station agent, the pilot stated that he “got stuck in the mud on departure.” When asked by the agent if there was any damage to the airplane, he responded that there was. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.