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LAX94LA228

1994-05-30 · SONOMA, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 0Q9

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT AND HIS FAILURE TO INITIATE A GO-AROUND.

Factual narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On May 30, 1994, at 1410 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28- 151, N44630, operated by Tradewind Aviation, collided with trees during a long landing at the Sonoma Skypark (uncontrolled) Airport, Sonoma, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged, and neither the private pilot nor the passenger was injured. No flight plan was filed. The personal flight originated from Little River, California, on May 30, 1994, at 1300. The pilot verbally reported to the National Transportation Safety Board that he experienced turbulence on final approach to runway 26. The airplane touched down long, and the pilot initially tried to go around. The pilot further stated that during rollout he changed his mind because he did not believe sufficient runway existed to successfully take off. So he then attempted to stop. The airplane exited the departure end of the runway and collided with trees. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) "Airport Facility Directory," runway 26 is 2,340 feet long by 30 feet wide. The runway threshold is displaced by 237 feet.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, on January 29, 1992, the pilot was issued a Private Pilot Certificate. On October 2, 1993, when the pilot was issued a third-class aviation medical certificate, he reported having 100 total flight hours.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

On June 1, 1994, the Safety Board mailed the pilot the "Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report," NTSB Form 6120.1, to complete. The Safety Board did not receive the completed form. On November 8, 1994, the Safety Board again requested that the pilot complete the NTSB 6120.1 form. The pilot verbally reported that he had mailed the Safety Board the report form, and he indicated he would mail a duplicate to the Safety Board. On November 18, 1994, the Safety Board made an additional request for the pilot to complete the required NTSB 6120.1 form. The Safety Board informed the pilot that neither the Federal Aviation Administration coordinator nor the Safety Board Southwest Regional Office had received the form. The pilot reported that, in fact, he had not completed the required report form. The pilot also reported that he did not plan to complete it. The pilot declined to provide the Safety Board with information regarding his flying hours and currency. He declined to provide any additional information regarding the circumstances of his accident. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT ON FINAL APPROACH HE EXPERIENCED TURBULENCE. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN LONG, AND THE PILOT STATED THAT HE INITIALLY ATTEMPTED TO GO-AROUND. THE PILOT FURTHER REPORTED THAT DURING ROLLOUT HE CHANGED HIS MIND AND ATTEMPTED TO STOP. THE AIRPLANE OVERRAN THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY AND COLLIDED WITH TREES. THE RUNWAY IS 2,340 FEET LONG AND ITS THRESHOLD IS DISPLACED BY 237 FEET. THE PILOT DID NOT REPORT HIS RECENT FLYING EXPERIENCE OR CURRENCY. ON A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE APPLICATION 8 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT REPORTED HE HAD 100 HOURS OF FLYING EXPERIENCE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1994_LAX94LA228.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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