| Crash location | 42.953889°N, 85.343889°W |
| Nearest city | Lowell, MI
42.933643°N, 85.341961°W 1.4 miles away |
| Tail number | N52WP |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 07 Jul 2002 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-34 |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 7, 2002, at 1:45 edt, a Piper PA-34, N52WP, blew a tire on rollout after landing at Lowell, Michigan. The FAR Part 91 flight was conducted in visual meteorological conditions and was not on a flight plan. The pilot, the only occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from Frankfort, Michigan at 1:30.
The pilot stated "I landed on the runway and immediately applied full braking power after getting the right wheel on the grass in hopes of getting better drag, with out too much pressure on the tire, instead of asphalt. Approximately 35 feet from the end of the runway the left tire blew. The airplane had slowed to 20 mph at this time and until the tire blew I felt that the situation was under control. The airplane went 15 feet off the end of the runway before stopping." The pilot said under Operator/Owner Safety Recommendation "that better evaluation of wind conditions" may have prevented the accident. "They were not what was on ATIS at GRR."
The probable cause of this accident was a failure to properly compensate for the current wind conditions. Excessive use of brakes was a contributing factor.