- Date
- June 6, 2010, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Kingfisher, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7559JPiper PA-28R-180
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20100606005249A
- Case key
- 76230
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 airspeed while landing, which led to an aerodynamic stall and a hard landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot said that this was his second landing on the grass strip that day. The winds were gusty and there was a slight crosswind. He turned onto final approach at 80 knots indicated airspeed with the landing gear down and flaps fully extended. He descended to the round out (flare), but the airplane "floated." He lowered the nose to allow the airplane to settle and he heard the stall warning horn intermittently. He applied full throttle and the engine responded but the airplane continued to descend. The airplane landed "hard." The left wing struck the ground, the airplane bounced, and then the right wing struck the ground. The nose gear collapsed and the airplane skidded to a stop. The pilot said that he didn't take into consideration the density altitude and that if he had maintained a higher landing speed the airplane would not have stalled. An examination of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies.
Factual narrative
On June 6, 2010, approximately 0930 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-180, N7559J, registered to and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged when the nose landing gear collapsed on landing at Kingfisher Airport (F92), Kingfisher, Oklahoma. Visual meteorological conditions VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger on board the airplane were not injured. The local flight originated approximately 0915 from F92. The following is based on the pilot's accident report and what he told FAA inspectors. The pilot said this was his second landing on the grass strip that day. The winds were gusty and there was a slight crosswind. He turned onto final approach at 80 KIAS (knots indicated airspeed) with the landing gear down and flaps fully extended. He descended to the round out (flare), but the airplane "floated." He lowered the nose to allow the airplane to settle and he heard the stall warning horn intermittently. He applied full throttle and the engine responded but the airplane continued to descend. The airplane landed "hard." The left wing struck the ground, the airplane bounced, and then the right wing struck the ground. The nose gear collapsed and the airplane skidded to a stop. The pilot said he didn't take into consideration the density altitude when he prepared for his second landing. He said if he had maintained a higher landing speed, the airplane would not have stalled. An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7559J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-30937
- Airframe hours
- 4,404
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B1E, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Edward L. Hale
- Registered owner
- Edward L. Hale
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 26, 2010 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- F92 · Kingfisher, OK
- Destination
- F92 · Kingfisher, OK
- Airport
- F92 · Kingfisher, runway 35, 2,580 × 375 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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 4, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 129 total · 62 in this make and model · 83 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- OKC, 140 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 17, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 179 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.