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ERA11CA445

2011-08-09 · Charleston, South Carolina, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CHS

Current FAA registration · N30731

Make / Model
PIPER PA-32RT-300
Year of manufacture
1978 · 33 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-540 SER (300 hp)
Seats / Engines
7 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19780410
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A33C2E

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's decision to continue the approach and landing at a high airspeed, which resulted in an improper touchdown point and subsequent runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that he was approaching the airport for landing at an altitude of 2,500 feet. He requested from the airport control tower, and was subsequently cleared for, a 360-degree turn to lose altitude prior to continuing the landing approach. The pilot stated that the airplane's airspeed was too high as it crossed the runway threshold, but he elected to continue the landing. The airplane touched down, but the pilot was unable to stop the airplane before it traveled off the end of the runway and impacted a fence, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane, and that he should have executed a go-around rather than continuing the approach and landing. The pilot stated that he was approaching the airport for landing at an altitude of 2,500 feet. He requested and received clearance for a 360-degree turn to lose altitude prior to continuing the landing approach. The pilot stated that the airplane's airspeed was too high as it crossed the runway threshold, but he elected to continue the landing. The airplane touched down, but the pilot was unable to stop the airplane before it traveled off the end of the runway and impacted a fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane and that he should have executed a go-around rather than continuing the approach and landing. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Incorrect use/operation - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Incorrect use/operation - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Fence/fence post-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_ERA11CA445.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion, go-around). All research papers