# NTSB ATL04LA114: Piper PA-46-350P, N91734, Montgomery, AL, March 2, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 2, 2004, 11:20 local (16:20 UTC) - Place: Montgomery, AL - Coordinates: 32.300556, -86.39389 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.3006&lon=-86.3939&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report February 24, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Birmingham FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 59208 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL04LA114 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/59208/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL04LA114 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind and his failure to maintain directional control during landing roll that resulted in the collapse of the nose gear. The crosswind was a contributing factor. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - crosswind - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - grass - Nose gear collapsed, landing - roll - landing gear,nose gear - overload ## Analysis The pilot landed on runway 28 with a crosswind from the left. After touchdown, the airplane yawed to the left. The pilot started correcting for the yaw but the correction felt to be too strong for the airplane to handle. The pilot allowed the airplane to drift to the left, eventually departing the runway on the left side onto the grass. Twenty yards from the runway, the nose gear dug into the soft grass and collapsed. Examination of the airplane revealed the nose gear collapsed, the propeller broken and damage to the firewall. The right main landing gear and the right wing tip were also bent. The nose gear trunnion was sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for a fracture analysis. The trunnion from the nose gear assembly was examined and the fracture faces contained no evidence of a fatigue crack or other preexisting condition leading to the fracture. According to the pilot's handbook the, the demonstrated crosswind component for the Piper PA-46-350P is 17 knots. The reported surface winds at the time of the accident were 200 degrees at 10 knots. The pilot's had accumulated a total of 1300 hours in the PA-46. ## Factual narrative On March 2, 2004, at 1120 central daylight time, a Piper PA-46-350P, N91734, registered to and operated by a private pilot, nose gear collapsed during a landing on runway 28 at the Montgomery Regional Airport in Montgomery, Alabama. The personal flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The private pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Montgomery Regional Airport at 1040. The pilot landed on runway 28 with a crosswind from the left. After touchdown, the airplane yawed to the left. The pilot stated that he started correcting for the yaw but the correction felt to be too strong for the airplane to handle. The pilot allowed the airplane to drift to the left, eventually departing the runway on the left side onto the grass. Twenty yards from the runway, the nose gear dug into the soft grass and collapsed. Examination of the airplane revealed the nose gear had collapsed, the propeller assembly was broken, and there was damage to the engine compartment firewall. The right main landing gear and the right wing tip were also bent. The nose gear trunnion was sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for a fracture analysis. The trunnion from the nose gear assembly was examined and the fracture faces contained no evidence of a fatigue crack or other preexisting condition leading to the fracture. According to the pilot's handbook the, the demonstrated crosswind component for the Piper PA-46-350P is 17 knots. The reported surface winds at the time of the accident were 200 degrees at 10 knots. The pilot's had accumulated a total of 1300 hours in the PA-46. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N91734](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N91734), registered now, S/N 4622040 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-46-350P - Registry model: [Piper PA 46-350P](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-46-350p) (registry code 7104620) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming TI0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (registry code 41533, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 4622040 - Airframe hours: 1159 - Engines: Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A 350 hp reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Part 91 - Operator: Howard M. Robertson - Registered owner: Robert Struan Company Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 28, 2003 - Departed: MGM, Montgomery, AL - Flight plan: Unknown - Airport: KMGM, Montgomery Regional, runway 28, 9,010 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review August 15, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 1,875 total, 1,200 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC) - Wind: 200° at 12 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 7,500 ft broken - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 30.22 inHg - Observed at: MGM ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040302003389A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040302003389A), Mar 2, 2004: Piper PA46350P, Montgomery, AL, Minor damage. (-23) Mr. Howard robertson was flying aircraft N91734. Mr. Robertson landed on runway 28 with a crosswind from the left. After touchdown as the aircraft was… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.