20070807023729I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-32-300 · Saipan Island, MP · August 7, 2007

Date: August 7, 2007 · 07:53 local
Place: Saipan Island, MP
Airport: Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: AVSA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N8938N
Reported as: Piper PA32300
Reported engine: Lycoming TIO540*
People aboard: 7
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,350 total60 in this make and model60 in the last 90 days

N8938NRegistration cancelled Oct 27, 2017 · Piper PA-32-300S/N 32-40736 · Built 1969 Airframe modelPiper PA-32-300 Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The pilot departed the tinian international airport for the scheduled 10 minute flight to the Saipan international airport. The cherokee six made a hard landing resulting in the nose gear collapsing and the propeller striking the runway. There were no injuries to the pilot or the 6 passengers. The pilot later reported hearing a loud bang after lift-off from tinian, but this was not confirmed by his passengers. The pilot also stated that as he lowered the nose after landing it appeared that the nose wheel had collapsed. However, witnesses and several passengers reported that the aircraft had bounced several times before the nose struck the runway. The pilot was a recent hire by the operator and had received his part 135 checkrides from the company check airman 24 days earlier and had made 60 round trips between tinian and Saipan prior to the accident. Post incident investigation of the nose wheel structure showed no fatigue failure or previous damage to the structure.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT DEPARTED THE TINIAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR THE SCHEDULED 10 MINUTE FLIGHT TO THE SAIPAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THE CHEROKEE SIX MADE A HARD LANDING RESULTING IN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSING AND THE PROPELLER STRIKING THE RUNWAY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT OR THE 6 PASSENGERS. THE PILOT LATER REPORTED HEARING A LOUD BANG AFTER LIFT-OFF FROM TINIAN, BUT THIS WAS NOT CONFIRMED BY HIS PASSENGERS. THE PILOT ALSO STATED THAT AS HE LOWERED THE NOSE AFTER LANDING IT APPEARED THAT THE NOSE WHEEL HAD COLLAPSED. HOWEVER, WITNESSES AND SEVERAL PASSENGERS REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BOUNCED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE NOSE STRUCK THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT WAS A RECENT HIRE BY THE OPERATOR AND HAD RECEIVED HIS PART 135 CHECKRIDES FROM THE COMPANY CHECK AIRMAN 24 DAYS EARLIER AND HAD MADE 60 ROUND TRIPS BETWEEN TINIAN AND SAIPAN PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. POST INCIDENT INVESTIGATION OF THE NOSE WHEEL STRUCTURE SHOWED NO FATIGUE FAILURE OR PREVIOUS DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURE.