Piper PA-11 N5516H

Summary

On 17 December 2003 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper PA-11 registered N5516H was involved in an accident near Gilbert, Arizona, 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

17 December 2003 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Gilbert, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

33.3333, -111.7833

Aircraft

Piper PA-11

Registration

N5516H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Maricopa → Gilbert

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA071

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing touchdown in soft terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane came to rest inverted after attempting to land in a soft dirt field. The pilot was attempting to land in an alfalfa field next to his home. He had successfully completed landings in the field prior to the accident. The dirt in the field had recently been lightly disked. Upon touchdown, the airplane's main landing gear sunk into the soft terrain. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.