Piper PA-23-250 accident near Eureka Springs, Arkansas, January 12, 2005
On January 12, 2005 at about 10:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N500KW, was destroyed in an accident near Eureka Springs, Arkansas (Private Airstrip airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot misjudged his distance/speed which resulted in the overrun and subsequent impact with trees. The wet turf runway and the trees were factors in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2005 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Eureka Springs, Arkansas · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N500KW · registry record · serial 277405264
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed, and the pilot fatally injured, when it impacted trees and subsequently burned after an overrun during landing. A witness reported that the airplane came into the private airstrip very fast and that the weather at the time consisted of a low ceiling, rain, and misting rain. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Evidence of heavy braking and sliding of the tires on the wet, turf runway was observed leading to the main wreckage. Tire marks indicated that the airplane touched down with 1,523 feet of runway remaining. The total runway length was 1,981 feet. The dry runway landing distance over a 50 foot obstacle with no wind was determined to be about 1,400 feet for an aircraft weight of 4,000 pounds.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all
- Last flight review: April 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HRO Harrison AR
- Destination: PVT Eureka Springs AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,981 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.54 inHg
- Observation at 10:35 pm from KROG, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.