Piper PA-38-112 accident near Ozark, Arkansas, September 19, 1999
On September 19, 1999 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N469RA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ozark, Arkansas (Frank Lane 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 delay in aborting the takeoff, which resulted in a runway overrun. A factor was 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
- September 19, 1999 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Ozark, Arkansas · Frank Lane · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N469RA · registry record · serial 38-78A0531
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane struck a fence, fence post, and trees during a runway overrun following an aborted takeoff from a private grass airstrip. The pilot landed the airplane at the private grass airstrip without incident. During the subsequent departure, the airplane was not gaining airspeed, and the takeoff was aborted. According to a drawing submitted by the pilot, the airplane had traveled 1,800 feet down the 2,600-foot airstrip when he aborted the takeoff. The pilot reported that the remaining 800 feet of the grass runway 'had been replanted with new grass and had not been mowed, causing insufficient traction to stop.' The passenger reported that 'due to new, wet grass, the airplane slid' off the end of the runway.
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: 190 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 127 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,486 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 1999; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 5:15 pm
- Destination: FSM Fort Smith AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.