NTSB MIA89LA209 — 1989-07-29 · ACKERMAN, Mississippi, United States

Current FAA registration · N711DL

Make / Model: PIPER PA-34-200
Engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 7 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date: 19730616
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A9801A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N711DL Piper PA-34 None

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S SELECTION OF THE WRONG RUNWAY AND HIS IMPROPER INFLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION WHICH RESULTED IN A SITUATION FROM WHICH HE COULD NEITHER GO-AROUND NOR STOP ON THE REMAINING RUNWAY. THE THUNDERSTORMS, INOPERATIVE (DISREPAIRED) WIND SOCK, AND ROUGH TERRAIN (POTHOLES) WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.

Factual narrative

THE PLT ENCOUNTERED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE REACHING HIS DESTN. HE DIVERTED TO ACKERMAN, MS, & CIRCLED THE ARPT TO DETERMINE THE WIND. THE WIND SOCK INDCD TO HIM THAT THE WIND WAS CALM. JUST BEFORE LNDG ON RWY 5, HE NOTICED A 'DOWNWIND CURRENT', BUT THE ACFT WAS CONFIGURED WITH THE LANDING GEAR & FULL FLAPS EXTENDED & IT WAS IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE. THE PLT RPRTD THAT BY THIS TIME, THE ACFT WAS BEHIND THE POWER CURVE, THUS MAKING A GO-AROUND IMPOSSIBLE. IT TOUCHED DOWN BEYOND MIDFIELD & MAX BRAKING WAS APPLIED, BUT THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO STOP ON THE REMAINING RWY. THE ACFT CONTD OFF THE DEP END, HIT POTHOLES ON THE OVERRUN AREA & WAS DAMAGED. AFTER THE LANDING, AN EXAM OF THE WIND SOCK REVEALED IT WAS IN A STATE OF DISREPAIR WITH MOST OF THE FABRIC MISSING. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_MIA89LA209.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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