- Date
- October 24, 2008, 13:29 local (17:29 UTC)
- Place
- Tallahasee, FL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N34LMPiper PA-34-200T
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 6, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 73126
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 maintain aircraft control after touchdown. Contributing to the accident were the gusting winds.
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 of the airplane stated that he was flying the global-positioning-system approach for runway 9, when the active runway was changed to runway 27. He then flew the instrument-landing-system approach for runway 27, using left crosswind correction. After touchdown, while on centerline, a microburst "lifted the airplane in the air and slammed it down," compressing the nose strut and resulting in a subsequent propeller strike. Approximately 35 minutes before the accident, the winds were reported from 130 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots. No microburst or windshear activity was reported by the control tower at the time of the accident. The pilot did not report the accident until he tried to obtain a ferry permit about 2 months later.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the Piper PA-34-200T stated that he was flying the global positioning system (GPS) approach for runway 9, when the active runway was changed to runway 27. He then flew the instrument landing system (ILS) approach for runway 27, using left crosswind correction. After touchdown, while on centerline, a microburst "lifted the airplane in the air and slammed it down," compressing the nose strut and resulting in a subsequent propeller strike. Approximately 35 minutes before the accident, the winds were reported from 130 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots. No microburst or wind shear activity was reported by the control tower at the time of the accident. The pilot did not report the accident until he tried to obtain a ferry permit about 2 months later.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N34LM
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7770133
- Engines
- Cont Motor TSIO-360 SER, 225 horsepower, reciprocatingCont Motor TSIO-360 SER, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Lima Mike LLC
- Registered owner
- Lima Mike LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- HWO · Pembroke Pines, FL
- Destination
- KTLH · Tallahasee, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- TLH · Tallahasse Regional Airport, runway 27, 8,000 × 150 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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Military, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 2, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,575 total · 358 in this make and model · 11,076 as pilot in command · 175 in the last 90 days · 82 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- TLH