What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Hard crosswind landing folded nosegear. Prop strike. Left main collapsed. Blamed stuck throttle. None found. (-23) on November 3rd, 1997, a PA-28, N4502X, departed marianna, FL on a training flight to Steep Head, FL, near Clarksville, FL. During the visual landing the pilot landed nose first into the grass runway, with a resulting hard landing and substantial damage to the aircraft. The left main gear broke off, the nose gear collapsed, the prop was bent, the engine mounts were broken and the forward fuselage section damaged. The pilot in command was not injured. The right front seat passenger suffered serious injuries, with spinal compression and broken vertebrae, requiring an extensive (8 day) stay in the hospital. This accident was originally treated as an incident based on the information given by the pilot and changed to an accident once the true extent of the passenger's injuries and damage to the aircraft was known. There is no evidence that the pilot held a current medical certificate at the time of the accident, last recorded medical was issued 11/94.
As the FAA filed it
HARD CROSSWIND LANDING FOLDED NOSEGEAR. PROP STRIKE. LEFT MAIN COLLAPSED. BLAMED STUCK THROTTLE. NONE FOUND. (-23) ON NOVEMBER 3RD, 1997, A PA-28, N4502X, DEPARTED MARIANNA, FL ON A TRAINING FLIGHT TO STEEP HEAD, FL, NEAR CLARKSVILLE, FL. DURING THE VISUAL LANDING THE PILOT LANDED NOSE FIRST INTO THE GRASS RUNWAY, WITH A RESULTING HARD LANDING AND SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR BROKE OFF, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, THE PROP WAS BENT, THE ENGINE MOUNTS WERE BROKEN AND THE FORWARD FUSELAGE SECTION DAMAGED. THE PILOT IN COMMAND WAS NOT INJURED. THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT PASSENGER SUFFERED SERIOUS INJURIES, WITH SPINAL COMPRESSION AND BROKEN VERTEBRAE, REQUIRING AN EXTENSIVE (8 DAY) STAY IN THE HOSPITAL. THIS ACCIDENT WAS ORIGINALLY TREATED AS AN INCIDENT BASED ON THE INFORMATION GIVEN BY THE PILOT AND CHANGED TO AN ACCIDENT ONCE THE TRUE EXTENT OF THE PASSENGER'S INJURIES AND DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS KNOWN. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THE PILOT HELD A CURRENT MEDICAL CERTIFICATE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, LAST RECORDED MEDICAL WAS ISSUED 11/94.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.