Piper PA-28-180 accident near Tunica, Mississippi, August 15, 2007
On August 15, 2007 at about 6:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N7906W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tunica, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to compensate for the existing wind conditions during a crosswind landing. A factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2007 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Tunica, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7906W · no longer on the register · serial 28-1936
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 300-hour private pilot reported on a written statement to the FAA, that he entered the traffic pattern on the downwind for Runway 35. He added that the downwind entry, base leg, and final approach were all normal. The pilot further stated that "upon crossing into the blacktop of the runway, the airplane climbed rapidly 25-30 feet, like a thermal effect from the high temperatures off of the runway." He added that a prevailing crosswind from the west "drifted the airplane slightly off-center." The pilot added that he applied full power, closed the carburetor heat, and prepared for either a go-around or a soft landing further down the runway. The airplane then "lost lift and touched down in a crab due to the crosswind." The airplane touched down on the nose landing gear, skidded sideways, when the nose gear touched down the aircraft skidded sideways and :nosed over slightly" resulting in a prop strike and wing contact on the runway. The right wing sustained structural damaged. The winds were reported from 270 degrees at 10 knots.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,124 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2006; 163 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,222 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M01 Memphis TN
- Destination: KUTA Tunica MS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 106°F (41°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N7906W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.