No fatalities

Aircraft Impacts Ditch During Grass Runway Approach

Hillsboro, OH, United States

On August 6, 2016, a PIPER PA24 250 was involved in an aviation accident near Hillsboro, OH. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's descent below the intended glidepath during the approach, which resulted in an impact with a ditch prior to the runway. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

During approach to a grass runway, the pilot reduced power and believed sufficient altitude existed. The aircraft struck a ditch short of the runway, shearing the nose gear and collapsing the main gear before sliding about 200 feet, substantially damaging the left wing.

Incident Overview

According to the pilot's report, during the approach to a grass runway, the pilot reduced engine power. The pilot was convinced that the aircraft had enough altitude to land on the intended runway. However, the airplane struck a ditch located before the runway threshold. This impact resulted in the nose landing gear being sheared off and the main landing gear collapsing. Following the gear failure, the airplane slid approximately 200 feet before stopping.

Damage Assessment

The left wing of the airplane sustained substantial damage due to the impact and subsequent sliding. No other damage was reported.

Pilot Statement

The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with either the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Conclusions

No probable cause has been explicitly stated in the source materials.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotDescent/approach/glide path — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome