NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA18CA081
Registry · N4887S
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-32-260
Year of manufacture
1971 · 46 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19710201
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A609AF
Registrant of record
SLATER MICHAEL C
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain the airplane’s rate of descent in gusting wind conditions resulting in a hard landing and runway excursion.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, during approach to runway 28, "I noticed the VSI showed a dramatic increase in the decent rate and I applied full power." He reported that the airplane landed hard, and he heard a "pop," and believed that the main landing gear tires had failed. The airplane exited the right side of the runway and struck a runway light. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft bulkhead, stringer and skin. According to the METAR at the accident airport, about the time of the accident the wind was from 230° at 28kts gusting to 42kts. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot, during approach to runway 28, he noticed that the vertical speed indicator showed an increase in the decent rate so he applied full power. He reported that the airplane landed hard, and he heard a "pop" and believed that the main landing gear tires had failed. The airplane exited the right side of the runway and struck a runway light. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft bulkhead, stringer, and skin. According to the METAR at the accident airport, about the time of the accident the wind was from 230° at 28 kts gusting to 42 kts. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with 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).
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent rate-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Runway/taxi/approach light-Contributed to outcome - C
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2017_GAA18CA081.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2024 · SKYbrary article
Runway Excursion — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary runway excursion review — RE-OE (overruns) + RE-LO (lateral). Risk drivers: long landing, high approach speed, contaminated surface, tailwind, mis-set autobrakes.
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2019 · Accident report
Embraer ERJ 175 Runway Excursion at Charlotte Douglas
Republic Airline ERJ-175 runway excursion CLT, January 2018. Examines a low-energy runway excursion involving misuse of autobrakes + thrust reverser response after a high-crosswind landing on a contam…
- NASA NTRS 2025 · Presentation
Uncovering Resilient Behavior in the Aviation Safety Reporting System Using Large Language Models
Resiliency is present in everyday life, both in system design and exhibited by the operators that function within these systems.
- NASA NTRS 2025 · Conference Paper
Uncovering Resilient Behavior in the Aviation Safety Reporting System Using Large Language Models
Resiliency is present in everyday life, both in system design and exhibited by the operators that function within these systems.
- Flight Safety Foundation 2024 · FSF / AeroSafety World
Runway Safety Initiative Final Report (RSI)
Foundation Runway Safety Initiative final report — comprehensive analysis of runway excursion + incursion risk drivers worldwide.
- Semantic Scholar 2020 · Article
Towards online prediction of safety-critical landing metrics in aviation using supervised machine learning
Abstract In recent years, due to the increased availability of data and improvements in computing power, application of machine learning techniques to various aviation safety problems for identifying,…
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗