- Date
- August 2, 2009, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lincoln Park, NJ
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N551NPiper PA-34-200T
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 3, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090802047979A
- Case key
- 74427
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 flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and the subsequent collapse of the landing gear.
Findings · 2
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 stated that because the runway was wet, he was "determined to touch down as close to the approach end as possible." On landing, the airplane bounced, and the nose and main landing gear subsequently collapsed. The airplane came to rest on the runway, approximately 1,700 feet beyond the landing threshold, and sustained substantial damage. An airport surveillance video camera captured the accident sequence. Review of the video indicated that the airplane first contacted the runway just beyond the displaced threshold, in a flat attitude, with no flare or float. The airplane bounced and re-contacted the runway on its nose landing gear, which then collapsed. This was followed by a series of rapid, large-amplitude pitch oscillations, and collapse of the main gear.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that because the runway was wet, he was "determined to touch down as close to the approach end as possible." On landing, the airplane bounced, and the nose and main landing gear subsequently collapsed. The airplane came to rest on the runway, approximately 1,700 feet beyond the landing threshold, and sustained substantial damage. An airport surveillance video camera captured the accident sequence. Review of the video indicated that the airplane first contacted the runway just beyond the displaced threshold, in a flat attitude, with no flare or float. The airplane bounced and re-contacted the runway on its nose landing gear, which then collapsed. This was followed by a series of rapid, large-amplitude pitch oscillations, and collapse of the main gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N551N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7570197
- Airframe hours
- 3,329
- Engines
- Cont Motor TSIO-360 SER, 225 horsepower, reciprocatingCont Motor TSIO-360 SER, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 17, 2009 · 38 hours before
- Departed
- MVL · Morrisville, VT
- Destination
- N07 · Lincoln Park, NJ
- Flight plan
- VFR/IFR
- Airport
- N07 · Lincoln Park Airport, runway 19, 2,942 × 40 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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 15, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 21,682 total · 98 in this make and model · 14,156 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- CDW, 5 nm away
Docket · 9
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 8, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 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.