PIPER PA-28-161

Full Narrative

According to the pilot, he was returning to the rented airplane’s home base when he overflew the accident airport and decided to land. The pilot checked the winds by observing the wind sock before attempting to land on runway 32, a 1,659-foot runway. During the first attempt, the pilot executed a go around due to excessive altitude. During a second attempt, the pilot initiated a forward slip and landed the airplane two-thirds down the runway. The pilot applied brake pressure, but the airplane continued off the end of the runway and impacted a fence, which substantially damaged the fuselage and wings. During a subsequent examination of the wreckage, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector identified no preexisting anomalies with the airplane. The pilot reported that it was the first time he had landed at the airport, and it was the shortest runway he had ever attempted to land on. He also noted that his total flight experience was approximately 90 hours, of which, about 6 hours were in the same make and model as the accident airplane. When asked how he could have prevented the accident, the pilot stated that he should have performed a go-around if he was unsure that he could land and stop on the remaining runway. The operator who rented the airplane to the pilot restricted landings to runways which were at least 3,000 feet long. Winds, recorded at an airport 12 miles to the northeast at the time of the accident, were calm.