NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA23LA364
Registry · N400RW
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-24-400
Year of manufacture
1964 · 59 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-720 (400 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4AE2D
Registrant of record
REGISTRATION PENDING
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to fly an appropriate glide path during the landing approach, which resulted in a collision with approach lights and the ground short of the intended runway.
Factual narrative
The private pilot and passenger proceeded on the cross-country nigh flight and on arrival near the destination airport the pilot stated that he was instructed by air traffic control to descend through class B airspace on a straight-in approach to the runway, which required him to descend at a rate of about 1,000 ft-per-minute. While flying the straight-in approach he indicated that he was, “a little behind on the aircraft as we descended.” With the lights and the runway in sight he descended too quickly on final approach and impacted airport approach lighting then the ground short of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2023_ERA23LA364.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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