Piper PA-28-140 N8730E

Summary

On 27 April 2005 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N8730E was involved in an accident near Indian Head, Maryland, 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

27 April 2005 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Indian Head, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Maryland Airport (2W5)

Coordinates

38.6003, -77.0728

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N8730E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Indian Head → Indian Head

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC05CA076

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance while on final approach, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees. A factor in this accident was the gusty wind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was on final approach to runway 36, a 3,000-foot-long, 50-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The pilot stated that he experienced a "sudden unexpected descent." He applied full engine power; however, the right wing struck a tree, and the airplane impacted the ground, about 100 to 150 feet, short of the runway. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any pre-impact malfunctions. Winds reported about the time of the accident, at an airport that was located about 10 miles northwest of the accident site, were from 330 degrees at 9 knots, with 14 knot gusts.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.