Piper PA-28-140 N4981T

Summary

On 26 February 2009 at about 20:10 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N4981T was involved in an accident near Ridgeland, South Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 February 2009 at 20:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Ridgeland, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Ridgeland Airport (3J1)

Coordinates

32.4925, -80.9922

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N4981T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ridgeland → Ridgeland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA176

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a precautionary landing. Contributing to the accident was a partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After takeoff from runway 21, the airplane climbed to an altitude of 500 feet; however, the pilot felt the engine was not producing sufficient power, and performed an uneventful landing. The pilot performed a run-up check of the engine, found it was operating normally, and then elected to depart again. While on the downwind leg, about 200 feet above the ground, the pilot again felt there was a problem with the engine, so he again elected to land, but during this attempt he maneuvered the airplane to return to the opposite end of the runway. The airplane approached the runway at a near 45-degree angle and landed hard, collapsing the landing gear. A postaccident inspection of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any mechanical abnormalities. Reported winds were from 180 degrees at 5 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.