- Date
- March 19, 1995, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Middle River, MD
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N79THPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950319049469A
- Case key
- 9031
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 inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in the nosegear collapsing. The pilot's improper landing flare was a factor in the accident.
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 state he was landing on runway 15 when the airplane porpoised and touched down hard, and the nosegear collapsed. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
On March 19, 1995, at 1445 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-34- 200T, N79TH, piloted by the co-owner/operator, sustained substantial damage when the nosegear collapsed during landing at Martin State Airport, Baltimore, Maryland. The pilot and the two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91.
The pilot reported that the nosegear buckled after a hard landing on runway 15, and that he taxied off the runway to the ramp without the nosegear. He also reported that there was no mechanical malfunction.
According to Federal Aviation Personnel, the pilot was landing on runway 15 when the airplane porpoised and touched down hard collapsing the nosegear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N79TH
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7970157
- Airframe hours
- 2,270
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-EB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kent Huber
- Registered owner
- S & K Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 4, 1995 · 95 hours before
- Departed
- GSO · Greensboro, NC
- Destination
- MTN · Baltimore, MD
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MTN · Martin State, runway 15, 6,996 × 180 ft, concrete
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,703 total · 270 in this make and model · 1,638 as pilot in command · 142 in the last 90 days · 72 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MTN
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 N79TH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.