Piper PA 22 N9807D

Summary

On 18 July 2017 at about 22:20 local time, a Piper PA 22 registered N9807D was involved in an accident near Breckenridge, 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

18 July 2017 at 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Breckenridge, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Ron's Private strip (PVT)

Coordinates

43.2625, -84.8925

Aircraft

Piper PA 22

Registration

N9807D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1959

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Breckenridge → Breckenridge

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA416

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s loss of situational awareness during the approach over a corn field, which resulted in collision with corn stalks.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was practicing short-field, touch-and-go landings on the private grass airstrip. The final leg of the approach was over a cornfield and a road perpendicular to the approach end of the airstrip. During final, the main landing gear (MLG) struck corn stalks that were about 6-ft tall. The airplane then landed short and struck the road. The right MLG collapsed, and the airplane slid across the road and onto the grass airstrip. The airplane's nose dug into the grass and dirt, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing strut and the rudder. The pilot reported that "this accident was pilot error" and that he believed that he became "fixated on the beginning of the grass and was oblivious to the height of the corn." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.