Piper PA 28-180 N7422W

Summary

On 30 November 2014 at about 19:20 local time, a Piper PA 28-180 registered N7422W was involved in an accident near Athens, Alabama, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 November 2014 at 19:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Athens, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Private (None)

Coordinates

34.8206, -87.0439

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-180

Registration

N7422W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Foley → Athens

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15CA064

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude while landing in gusty wind conditions, which resulted in a collision with power lines while on final approach.

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 land on runway 18, a 2,500-foot-long, turf runway, at a private airstrip. A witness stated that winds were gusting from the south and when the airplane was on short final it began to sink. The airplane's right main landing gear tire struck the top wire of power lines that were located across a road from the airstrip and were perpendicular to the runway. The airplane pitched down and impacted on the runway, about 120 feet to the south, which resulted in substantial damage to the forward portion of the fuselage. The pilot reported he added engine power when he realized that the airplane was descending and that the engine hesitated. He further stated that he did not experience any malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Winds reported at an airport that was located about 11 miles south-southeast of the accident site, around the time of the accident, were from 190 degrees at 21 knots, gusting 26 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.