20170412004339I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-32-301 · Alabaster, AL · April 12, 2017

Date: April 12, 2017 · 09:30 local
Place: Alabaster, AL
Airport: Shelby County Airport
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: 3LGA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N608TM
Reported as: Piper PA-32-301
Reported engine: Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard: 4
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,659 total1,503 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days

N608TMRegistered now · Piper PA-32-301S/N 32-8206004 · Built 1981 Airframe modelPiper PA-32-301 Engine modelLycoming IO-540 seriesReciprocating

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.

PIC stated that his airspeed during approach to landing was pretty high. He cut the power to reduce air speed. As soon as when he was in the white arc he added two notches of flaps causing the aircraft to balloon slightly. He continued toward the runway approximately 10 ? 15 knots faster than the normal speed of 90 ? 100 knots.

As he crossed the runway numbers, the airplane was still too fast, and trying to slow down he added the 3rd notch of flaps, causing the plane to balloon again. Realizing that he was going to land long he tried to lower the nose to bring the plane down. The plane continued to float and then hit the nose wheel, approximately 1500 feet from the threshold. The plane then bounced into the air and then began to porpoise at least 3 times before finally touching down on all three wheels. During the landing event, the aircraft experienced a nose gear tire blow out and a prop strike.

As the FAA filed it

PIC STATED THAT HIS AIRSPEED DURING APPROACH TO LANDING WAS PRETTY HIGH. HE CUT THE POWER TO REDUCE AIR SPEED. AS SOON AS WHEN HE WAS IN THE WHITE ARC HE ADDED TWO NOTCHES OF FLAPS CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO BALLOON SLIGHTLY. HE CONTINUED TOWARD THE RUNWAY APPROXIMATELY 10 ? 15 KNOTS FASTER THAN THE NORMAL SPEED OF 90 ? 100 KNOTS.

AS HE CROSSED THE RUNWAY NUMBERS, THE AIRPLANE WAS STILL TOO FAST, AND TRYING TO SLOW DOWN HE ADDED THE 3RD NOTCH OF FLAPS, CAUSING THE PLANE TO BALLOON AGAIN. REALIZING THAT HE WAS GOING TO LAND LONG HE TRIED TO LOWER THE NOSE TO BRING THE PLANE DOWN. THE PLANE CONTINUED TO FLOAT AND THEN HIT THE NOSE WHEEL, APPROXIMATELY 1500 FEET FROM THE THRESHOLD. THE PLANE THEN BOUNCED INTO THE AIR AND THEN BEGAN TO PORPOISE AT LEAST 3 TIMES BEFORE FINALLY TOUCHING DOWN ON ALL THREE WHEELS. DURING THE LANDING EVENT, THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A NOSE GEAR TIRE BLOW OUT AND A PROP STRIKE.