- Date
- June 2, 2006, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mena, AR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N950RMPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- FAA report
- 20060602008159A
- Case key
- 63855
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 resulting in a hard landing and his improper recovery procedures for a bounced 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
While executing a visual approach to runway 35, the 7,600-hour private pilot confirmed that the landing gear was extended. The pilot reported, that immediately after touching down on the 5,000-foot long, by 75-foot wide asphalt runway, he noticed a lower than usual nose attitude and applied aft pressure on the yoke which resulted in the airplane becoming airborne. The pilot added that "upon settling back onto the runway" the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane veered to the left. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who examined the twin-engine airplane, the pilot "made a hard nose wheel landing which caused the airplane to bounce back into the air." The FAA inspector added that, "Upon another hard landing the nose wheel blew out and the left main gear collapsed." The pilot reported having accumulated approximately 300 hours in the same and model aircraft. The wind at the time of the mishap was reported as light and variable.
Factual narrative
While executing a visual approach to runway 35, the 7,600-hour private pilot confirmed that the landing gear was extended. The pilot reported, that immediately after touching down on the 5,000-foot long, by 75-foot wide asphalt runway, he noticed a lower than usual nose-down attitude and applied aft pressure on the yoke, which resulted in the airplane becoming airborne. The pilot added that "upon settling back onto the runway" the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane veered to the left. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who examined the twin-engine airplane, the pilot "made a hard nose wheel landing which caused the airplane to bounce back into the air." The FAA inspector added that, "Upon another hard landing the nose wheel blew out and the left main gear collapsed." The pilot reported having accumulated approximately 300 hours in the same and model aircraft. The wind at the time of the mishap was reported as light and variable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N950RM
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-4781
- Airframe hours
- 3,608
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-CIA, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ken McRee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2005
- Departed
- Q26 · Brownfield, TX
- Destination
- MEZ · Mena, AR
- Airport
- MEZ · Mena Intermountain Municipal, runway 35, 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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,600 total · 300 in this make and model · 7,600 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- FSM, 48 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.