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Atlas / NTSB / WPR23LA282

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR23LA282

2023-07-20 Elko, Nevada, United States Airport · KEKO Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N4149J

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER PA-28-140

Year of manufacture

1966 · 57 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19661227

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A4E698

Registrant of record

ELKO AVIATION GROUP LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to ensure adequate airplane performance before taking off from a significantly shorter runway than originally planned for.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that the density altitude conditions were increasing but were within takeoff performance limits. During taxi to his planned departure runway, he was informed that the runway was closed, so he chose to depart from a different runway about 4,400 ft shorter than originally planned for. During takeoff the airplane did not have the performance necessary to attain rotation speed before the end of the runway, but the pilot did not abort the takeoff. He rotated the airplane 5-10 knots too slow and was unable to clear a fence off the departure end of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would preclude 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-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Performance calculations-Pilot
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Takeoff distance-Capability exceeded
  • Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action selection-Pilot
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-High density altitude-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR23LA282.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.