Piper PA-28-140 N4149J

Summary

On 20 July 2023 at about 16:40 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N4149J was involved in an accident near Elko, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 July 2023 at 16:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Elko, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Elko Regional Airport (KEKO)

Coordinates

40.8250, -115.7913

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N4149J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA282

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to ensure adequate airplane performance before taking off from a significantly shorter runway than originally planned for.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the density altitude conditions were increasing but were within takeoff performance limits. During taxi to his planned departure runway, he was informed that the runway was closed, so he chose to depart from a different runway about 4,400 ft shorter than originally planned for. During takeoff the airplane did not have the performance necessary to attain rotation speed before the end of the runway, but the pilot did not abort the takeoff. He rotated the airplane 5-10 knots too slow and was unable to clear a fence off the departure end of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would preclude normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.