Piper PA-28 accident near Berryville, Arkansas, January 28, 2002
On January 28, 2002 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28, registered N32194, was substantially damaged in an accident near Berryville, Arkansas (Carroll County Airport). It was an instructional 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 improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing. A contributing factor was the sunglare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 2002 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Berryville, Arkansas · Carroll County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28 · all PA-28s on the register
- Registration
- N32194 · registry record · serial 28-7505036
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that the first two approaches to the runway at an unfamiliar airport were too short. On his third approach, seeing that he was still too high, the pilot decided to steepen his glide path toward the numbers, which resulted in gaining too much speed. With the glaring sun in his eyes, the airplane touched down hard, bounced, touched down hard a second time, and bounded again. After touching down hard a third time, the nose gear collapsed, and the propeller blade tips struck the runway. The airplane then veered off the runway, impacted an approach light, and slid down an embankment coming to rest against two trees.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 71 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,233.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 7, 2001; 66.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSGF Springfield MO at 9:50 pm
- Destination: 4M1 Berryville AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,550 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from HRO, 27 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.
Other NTSB records under N32194 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.