N5641H – Piper PA-16 – 2007-06-11 NTSB Accident Report

On June 11, 2007, a Piper PA-16 (N5641H) was involved in an incident near Esparto, CA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's misjudgment of altitude resulting in an undershoot. Factors included the berm and the wind gusts.

The pilot stated that at the south end of his private airstrip was a tomato field with an irrigation ditch that rises about 8 to 10 inches above the flat ground, and that while trying to land to the north in "mildly gusty conditions" (8 to 10 miles per hour variable out of the west-northwest) he clipped a berm. The pilot revealed that the impact "snapped off" the left landing gear as the airplane continued onto the runway and settled on the left wing and firewall. The pilot stated that he should have landed a little longer. No mechanical failures or malfunctions were reported.

This incident is documented in NTSB report SEA07CA149. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N5641H.