- Date
- March 19, 1992, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Brewer, ME
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N62951Piper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11775
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 failure to correct an excessive descent rate during flare. Contributing to the accident was the pilots improper compensation for wind conditions.
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 pilot had just completed a VOR approach to runway 11 and descended below the base of the clouds. The wind sock indicated there was a left to right cross wind near the runway. As the pilot flared for touchdown, he encountered a gust of wind. He corrected and then experienced a second gust. Winds at an airfield 13 miles to the southeast were reported as north at 3 knots. The airplane struck the runway with enough force to break the engine mounts on the left engine. The engine dropped to the runway but remained attached by cables and wires. The pilot slowed the airplane and cleared the runway at the nearest intersection. He exited without further incident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62951
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7752001
- Engine
- Lycoming TSO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- North Central Airways, Inc
- Registered owner
- Larsen Aircraft Sales & Lesing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 7, 1992 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- SF2 · Lincoln, RI
- Destination
- 2W6 · Leonardtown, MD
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 2W6 · St. Marys County, runway 11, 3,249 × 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
- 51
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,615 total · 3,857 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PXT, 13 nm away