Piper PA-28-140 accident near Taylorsville, Kentucky, August 23, 2014
On August 23, 2014 at about 2:00 pm local time, a 1975 Piper PA-28-140, registered N41224, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Taylorsville, Kentucky (Willow Island Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to land on a wet runway and delayed go-around attempt, which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2014 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Taylorsville, Kentucky · Willow Island Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140, built 1975 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N41224 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7425299
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, after returning from a local flight he configured the airplane for a short field landing on a 1,600 foot-long grass runway. The airplane touched down about 75 feet (ft) past the runway approach end and the pilot applied brakes, which were ineffective due to the wet landing surface. The pilot stated that he quickly added power and the airplane rolled about 1,350 ft before it lifted off the runway. He then maneuvered to avoid tall obstacles at the end of the runway and entered a shallow left turn, but the airplane descended onto a road. The left main landing gear caught the road embankment, separated, and the airplane continued over the road and came to rest in the grass. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation and that he had successfully landed on the 1,600 foot runway prior to the accident. The airport elevation was 740 ft and the density altitude was 2,671 ft at the time of the accident. Utilizing ambient whether conditions, the only takeoff performance data available in the pilot's operating handbook indicated that the airplane's takeoff distance to clear a 50-foot obstacle should have been approximately 1,500 ft.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision during takeoff/land during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Surface speed/braking › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 231 hours in all; 132 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: February 16, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,404 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 28, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 SERIES (piston); 3,404 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 58KY Taylorsville KY at 1:28 pm
- Destination: 58KY Taylorsville KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 1,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from LOU, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on October 23, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Record - Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Report and Record | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Excerpt from PA-28-140 Flight Manual | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1 - Wreckage (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.
