Piper PA-24-180 accident near Arthur City, Texas, July 26, 1997
On July 26, 1997 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-180, registered N7014P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arthur City, Texas (Parson Field). 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 abort the landing. Factors were the wet, grass runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1997 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Arthur City, Texas · Parson Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180 · all PA-24-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7014P · registry record · serial 24-2162
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that on short final the airplane was 'a little fast and [he] thought about going around,' but committed to landing. The pilot applied the brakes immediately upon landing. The grass was wet and the airplane was not going to stop before the end of the runway. The pilot reported that he made a 90-degree left turn, towards an open field, approximately 60 yards from the departure end of the runway, to avoid a large ditch located just off the departure end of the runway. The airplane contacted a tree with the right wing tip and rolled through a barbed wire fence. The airplane's left wing was resting on a fence post when the left wheel dropped into a hole which 'buckled the main spar at the outboard skin lap.'
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: 570 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 495 as pilot in command; 75 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1997; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,000 ft by 85 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from PRX, 25 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.