| Crash location | 39.509166°N, 119.768889°W |
| Nearest city | Reno, NV
39.529633°N, 119.813803°W 2.8 miles away |
| Tail number | N8063T |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 16 Sep 2005 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-32-301 |
| Additional details: | None |
On September 16, 2005, at 1500 Pacific daylight time, N8063T, a Piper PA-32-301 (Saratoga), collided with a runway sign during landing at the Reno Tahoe International Airport (RNO), Reno, Nevada. The airplane was registered to a private company and being operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot departed from French Valley Airport (F70), Murrieta/Temecula, California, and was landing at his destination when the accident occurred.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that the flight went as planned until arriving into the Reno vicinity. Approximately 20 nautical miles south of Reno, the pilot received the weather information. The winds were reported out of the west at 23 knots, gusting to 30 knots. He was cleared to land on runway 16R and while he was on final, the air traffic control tower controller requested that the pilot go-around due to inbound jet traffic. The pilot was then cleared to land on runway 16L. During touchdown on runway 16L, the airplane's indicated air speed (IAS) was 70 knots and 20 degrees of flaps were extended. As the airplane rolled down the runway, the IAS increased 10 to 15 knots. After 300 feet of roll out, a wind gust hit the airplane and pushed it to the left side of the runway. The pilot applied corrective action; however, the airplane impacted a runway sign approximately 6 to 10 feet from the runway edge. After the airplane impacted the sign, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane slid to a stop. The left wing spar attach was damaged and the firewall sustained impact damage. No mechanical problems were reported.
The operations officer for the airport measured the distance between the runway sign and the runway surface. The runway is 150 feet wide and is made of concrete. There is a white runway edge line and next to that is an asphalt shoulder, approximately 35 feet wide and it is black. From the runway edge, the sign is located 60 feet from it. From the runway centerline to the sign, the distance is 135 feet. From the runway shoulder edge, the runway sign distance is 25 feet.
the pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and failure to maintain directional control. Contributing factors to the accident were the gusting quartering tail wind conditions.