- Date
- February 20, 1992, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hickory, NC
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N332DDPiper PA32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920220003259A
- Case key
- 8560
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While on final approach for a visual landing, the pilot reported an unspecified problem to the flight service station and elected to go around. The airplane crashed 300 feet short of the runway on the second approach. Examination of the accident site disclosed that the nose wheel touched down first followed by the mains and the separation of the nose wheel assembly. The examination also revealed that 3 gallons of fuel was in the fuel tanks. Subsequent interviews with the pilot disclosed that the engine was operating throughout the sequence of events, including the final touchdown. No mechanical problems were discovered during post-crash examination of the airframe.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N332DD
- Reported as
- Piper PA32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7840072
- Airframe hours
- 1,845
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1G5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Keller, Sammy O.
- Registered owner
- Keller, Sammy O.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 6, 1991 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- MRN · Morganton, NC
- Destination
- HKY
- Airport
- HKY · Hickory Regional, runway 24, 6,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,027 total · 500 in this make and model · 950 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HKY, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.