- Date
- November 17, 1994, 11:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Luray, SC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N22MLPiper PA-601P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 27, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941117038379A
- Case key
- 3496
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 landing flare which resulted in a hard landing.
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
During the landing flare, the airplane touched down hard and broke off the left main landing gear. As the airplane skidded to a stop, the right main landing gear collapsed. Examination of the accident site revealed three deep impressions in the ground where the airplane touched down on the runway. The fracture face of the broken left gear assembly exhibited an overload failure mode.
Factual narrative
On November 17,1994, at 1115 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-601P, N22ML, landed hard and failed the left main landing gear at Groton Plantation Airport in Luray, South Carolina. The personal flight operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, with a visual flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage; the pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight departed Statesboro, Georgia, at 1100 hours.
An examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane touched down within the first third of the sod runway. There were three deep landing gear impressions in the sod runway where the airplane touched down. Debris from the separated left main landing gear was scattered along the runway surface. The airplane skidded 465 feet and came to rest off the left side of the runway.
The examination of the broken landing gear assembly fracture face, revealed overload damage. The pilot did not report a problem with the airplane before the landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N22ML
- Reported as
- Piper PA-601P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 601P-0539
- Airframe hours
- 2,546
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-AA1A5, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Four Captains Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 23, 1993 · 69 hours before
- Departed
- TBR · Statesboro, GA
- Destination
- NONE
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- NONE · Groton Plantation, runway 34, 5,000 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,417 total · 311 in this make and model · 1,127 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CAE, 80 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.