Piper PA-28-235 N8997W

Summary

On 20 January 2025 at about 18:50 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N8997W was involved in an accident near Mount Vernon, Illinois, 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

20 January 2025 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Mount Vernon, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Mount Vernon Airport (MVN)

Coordinates

38.3234, -88.8585

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235

Registration

N8997W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sparta → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA085

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper landing flare and subsequent improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that during a landing attempt at the destination airport, she flared the airplane too early, and the airplane bounced. While the airplane became airborne from the bounce, she overcorrected, and the airplane yawed right. The airplane right wing tip then struck an ice bank along the right side of the runway. The pilot overcorrected to the left, and the airplane impacted a snow/ice bank on the left side of the runway and came to rest. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and an engine mount. The pilot stated there was no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.