- Date
- September 2, 2019, 10:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place
- Tulsa, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1RPiper PA60
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards
- FAA report
- 20190902017999A
- Case key
- 100308
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 an aerodynamic stall and 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 private pilot reported that he flew a normal approach; however, he initiated the landing flare too high. The airplane subsequently stalled and dropped about 10 ft, which caused the nose landing gear to collapse and damaged the forward pressure bulkhead. The pilot stated that he had verified that the landing gear were down and locked before landing, and reported that the accident was "not caused by any apparent mechanical failures."
Factual narrative
On September 2, 2019, about 1020 central daylight time, a Piper PA-60 Aerostar airplane, N1R, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing on runway 36L at Tulsa International Airport (TUL), Tulsa, Oklahoma. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The nose landing gear collapsed which resulted in damage to the forward pressure bulkhead. The airplane was registered to CBU Aviation LLC and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the airport, and the flight was operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from Rogers Executive Airport (ROG), Rogers, Arkansas, about 0945 and was destined for TUL. The pilot reported flying a normal approach to runway 36L; however, he initiated the landing flare too high. The airplane subsequently stalled and dropped about 10 ft which caused the nose landing gear to collapse. The airplane came to rest on an adjacent taxiway. He had verified that the landing gear was down and locked (three green indicator panel lights) before landing. He stated the accident was "not caused by any apparent mechanical failures."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1R
- Reported as
- Piper PA60 (602P)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 60-8265043
- Built
- 1982
- Airframe hours
- 3,571.2
- Engines
- Lycoming TIO-540-U2A, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TIO-540-U2A, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2019
- Departed
- ROG · Rogers, AR
- Destination
- TUL · Tulsa, OK
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- TUL · Tulsa International, runway 36L, 6,101 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 81
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 6, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,300 total · 500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- TUL, 1 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 10, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 MB 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.