# Accident 19980713046179A: Piper PA32300, Great Falls, MT, July 13, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 13, 1998, 14:36 local time
- Place: Great Falls, MT
- Airport: Great Falls International
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.4823° N, 111.3703° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at GREAT FALLS INTL (GTF), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.4823&lon=-111.3703&mi=10
- Aircraft: CGDBT (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA32300
- Reported engine: LYC IO540K1A5
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980713046179A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4) THE PILOT WAS EXECUTING A LANDING TO RUNWAY 21 AT THE GREAT FALLS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND REPORTED THAT 'APPROXIMATELY 10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY, THE PLANE DROPPED SUDDENLY, HITTING THE RUNWAY HARD AND STARTING A SERIES OF BOUNCES-EACH BOUNCE PROGRESSIVELY HIGHER-THAT I ATTEMPTED TO CONTROL WITH ELEVATOR AND POWER. AT THE TIME, I WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE PLANE STRAIGHT DOWN THE RUNWAY BUT WAS BEING BLOWN TO THE LEFT BY THE CROSS WIND. AFTER THE FOURTH BOUNCE, I OPTED FOR A NOSE DOWN LANDING IN THE FACE OF MY GREATER CONCERN OF LEAVING THE RUNWAY AND FLIPPING THE AIRCRAFT.' TOWER CONTROLLERS REPORTED THAT THEY OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT BEGIN PORPOISING WITH INCREASING SEVERITY DURING WHICH THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE 1435 SURFACE WEATHER OBSERVATION TAKEN AT THE GREAT FALLS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE DATE OF THE ACCIDENT REPORTED WINDS FROM 230 DEGREES MAGNETIC AT 22 KNOTS GUSTING TO 30 KNOTS. (-23) PILOT, TOWER PERSONNEL AND FBO EXECUTIVE STATEMENTS INDICATED THAT THE PILOT ENTERED A PORPOISING SITUATION UPON LANDING WHICH GREW PROGRESSIVELY WORSE ENDING IN A COLLAPSED NOSE GEAR.                                                                                         ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^

## NTSB investigation

None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.