Piper PA-28-140 accident near Ridgeland, SC
On February 26, 2009, a Piper PA-28-140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ridgeland, SC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 26, 2009
- Place
- Ridgeland, SC
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.492°N, 80.992°W
- NTSB ID
- 20090227X05843
Official records · ERA09LA176
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On February 26, 2009, about 1510 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-140, N4981T, was substantially damaged while attempting to land at Ridgeland Airport (3J1), Ridgeland, South Carolina. The certificated private pilot was seriously injured and the flight instructor-rated passenger was killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight. The local personal flight was conducted under the previsions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot provided a written statement and was interviewed by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. According to the statement and the interview summary, the pilot had initially departed from runway 21. Just after takeoff, the pilot returned to land on runway 21, as he believed that the engine was not producing sufficient power. During the circuit around the traffic pattern, the airplane was never higher than 500 feet above ground level. After an uneventful landing, the pilot taxied the airplane back for another departure from runway 21. Before takeoff, the pilot performed an engine run-up and noted that everything was "normal," and departed again. During the climb, and on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot again felt that the engine was not producing enough power and this time elected to return to land on runway 03. The pilot turned the airplane toward the runway, and remembered thinking that the airplane was high and fast, but aligned with the runway centerline. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane "hard" on the runway. The pilot further stated that he thoug
Probable cause
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.
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Browse: South Carolina · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
