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ERA13CA315

2013-07-04 · Easton, Pennsylvania, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport N43

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper touchdown point during landing, which resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to land with a tailwind condition and his lack of recent experience.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he had not flown for over two years prior to the accident flight. On the day of the accident, he took off and made two uneventful landings to runway 18. He then departed runway 36 and entered the airpark traffic pattern. The pilot reported his turn to final approach placed the airplane in position to land long and fast. He landed long on runway 36 and was unable to stop before the airplane departed the left side of the runway. The airplane dropped six feet down a steep embankment, crossed a road, and came to rest about 70 feet past the departure end of runway 36. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the right wing spar. At the time of the accident, the wind in the area was reported from 210 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 17 knots. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.   According to the pilot, he had not flown for over two years prior to the accident flight. On the day of the accident, he took off and made two uneventful landings to runway 18. He then departed runway 36 and entered the airpark traffic pattern. The pilot reported his turn to final approach placed the airplane in position to land long and fast. He landed long on runway 36 and was unable to stop before the airplane departed the left side of the runway. The airplane dropped six feet down a steep embankment, crossed a road, and came to rest about 70 feet past the departure end of runway 36. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the right wing spar. At the time of the accident, the wind in the area was reported from 210 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 17 knots. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.   Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Landing distance-Capability exceeded - C
  • F Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Contributed to outcome - F
  • F Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Recent experience-Pilot - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_ERA13CA315.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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