- Date
- August 28, 1992, 18:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Pageland, SC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N63892Beech C23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920828033969A
- Case key
- 8653
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's improper touchdown, resulting in an overload failure of the nose gear attachment support tubes. Factors were the lack of total experience of the pilot and the ditch adjacent to the runway.
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
The private pilot was making a practice landing at a local airport. As the nose gear contacted the runway surface, he applied the wheel brakes, and the nose dropped to an 'unusually low nose-down attitude.' The aircraft then veered sharply to the left and departed the runway surface. An inspection of the accident site revealed that the propeller contacted the runway shortly after nose gear touchdown. The wheel brakes and nose wheel steering systems showed no evidence of pre-accident malfunction or failure. An FAA inspector reported that two support tubes on the nose gear frame were broken, and there was evidence of full nose gear strut compression during the touchdown. The pilot had obtained his private pilot certificate about three weeks prior to the accident, and had logged about 11 hours as pilot-in-command.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63892
- Reported as
- Beech C23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-2363
- Airframe hours
- 3,923
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4K, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Piedmont Aviation Services
- Registered owner
- Piedmont Aviation Services
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 12, 1992 · 52 hours before
- Departed
- EQY · Monroe, NC
- Airport
- 35J · Pageland, runway 23, 3,400 × 60 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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 99 total · 7 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 250° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CLT, 40 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.
Other investigations on N63892 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.