CHI97LA294

Factual narrative

On September 17, 1997, at 1310 central daylight time, a Piper PA- 32R-300, N2680Q, operated by a commercial pilot landed short of runway 26 at the Hector International Airport, Fargo, North Dakota. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. The flight departed Pipestone, Minnesota, on September 17, 1997, at 1200 central daylight time. The pilot reported that the airplane touched down in the grass one foot short of the approach end of runway 26. He reported that the center of the end of the runway is five inches higher than the grass. According to the pilot the main landing gear was damaged when it contacted this rise at the beginning of the runway. The airplane touched down prior to the approach end of the runway. The end of the runway was approximately five inches higher than the surrounding terrain on which the airplane touched down. The airplane sustained substantial damage when the landing gear contacted the lip at the end of the runway. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12