NTSB Factual Report

On August 4, 2007, about 1100 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200T, N9356K, landed long on runway 01 at the Big Creek (uncontrolled) Airport, Big Creek, Idaho. The airplane overran the departure end of the runway and slid down an embankment. The airplane came to rest on its tail and left wing, and it was substantially damaged. The private pilot, who owned and operated the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the personal flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and it originated from Salmon, Idaho, about 1030.

The pilot reported that upon arriving over the airport he observed both windsocks indicating the wind was calm. The pilot reported that he landed about 1/4 of the way down the runway. The pilot did not apply heavy breaking until passing about midfield, but "the deceleration was not sufficient to stop before the end of the runway." According to the pilot, he subsequently walked the airstrip and found tire marks from where he had applied hard braking to the accident site. The distance from the start of the marks to the end of the airstrip was about 1,100 feet. The pilot further reported that no mechanical malfunctions or failures were experienced with his airplane.

The pilot also reported that a witness to the approach (but not his landing) indicated a strong wind blew in a northerly direction as the pilot flew over the airstrip.

Big Creek Airport's runway 01 has a turf surface and is 3,550 feet long. The airport's elevation is 5,743 feet mean sea level.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's misjudgment of distance and speed, which led to a long landing, and his delayed application of brakes that resulted in long landing and a runway overrun.