Piper PA-23-250 N318CA

Summary

On 18 March 2013 at about 22:15 local time, a Piper PA-23-250 registered N318CA was involved in an accident near Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. 2 people were 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

18 March 2013 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Hillsboro, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Hillsboro (7S3)

Coordinates

45.4256, -122.9453

Aircraft

Piper PA-23-250

Registration

N318CA

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hillsboro → Hillsboro

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA154

Nobody was injured.

A runway overrun due to an insufficient stopping distance due to the downsloping runway during a rejected takeoff. Contributing to the accident was a cabin door that inadvertently opened during the takeoff roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was to be the private pilot's first multiengine lesson. Both he and the instructor performed an uneventful preflight check and run-up, which included a check of the brakes and the security of the cabin door. During the takeoff roll, the cabin door opened, and the flight instructor called for the pilot to abort the takeoff. The pilot reduced engine power to idle and applied pressure to the brake pedals. The airplane began to decelerate; however, as it approached the end of the runway, brake effectiveness began to dissipate, and the airplane travelled beyond the threshold, coming to rest in a ditch. The airplane was equipped with foot-operated brakes on the left side only, which was occupied by the pilot undergoing instruction. The remaining runway distance, had it been flat, should have provided for an adequate distance to stop; however, the runway sloped downhill, with its gradient rapidly increasing beyond the threshold. It is likely that this increased downsloping gradient resulted in an increased distance needed to stop the airplane. Postaccident examination of the braking system revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.