Piper PA 28-140 N16491

Summary

On 16 May 2015 at about 18:56 local time, a Piper PA 28-140 registered N16491, operated by Peterson David J, was involved in an accident near Princeton, New Jersey, United States. 3 people were 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

16 May 2015 at 18:56

Classification

Accident

Location

Princeton, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Princeton (39N)

Coordinates

40.3992, -74.6656

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-140

Registration

N16491

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Peterson David J

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Princeton → Princeton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA15CA079

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing, resulting in a runway excursion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during the landing, the back wheels of the airplane touched the runway, he heard a pop, and he couldn't control the airplane. He reported that the airplane veered off the right side of the runway, the right wing and nose impacted a ditch, and subsequently sustained substantial damage to both wings and the engine mount. The pilot stated he assumes the right tire exploded during the landing. A front view photograph of the airplane at the accident site (provided by the Federal Aviation Administration), showed the airplane came to rest off the right side of the runway, and that the right main landing gear tire was intact and inflated. The pilot verified that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.