- Date
- September 23, 2010, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Northampton, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N56196Piper PA34
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 19, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100923049829A
- Case key
- 77685
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 recovery from a bounced landing.
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 it was his first landing at the accident airport. While in the traffic pattern and on the approach for landing, he stated that he became preoccupied with the terrain surrounding the airport and landed at a higher than normal airspeed. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced. On the second touchdown, the airplane's nose landing gear contacted the runway, the airplane shifted to the right, and the left propeller impacted the runway. Postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to both wings, and no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane were identified.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that it was his first landing at the accident airport. During the traffic pattern and approach for landing, he was "preoccupied" with the terrain surrounding the airport and landed at a "higher than normal" airspeed. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced. On the second touchdown, the airplane's nose landing gear contacted the runway, the airplane "shifted" to the right, and the left propeller impacted the runway. Postaccident examination by the FAA inspector revealed substantial damage to both wings, and no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane were identified.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56196
- Reported as
- Piper PA34 (200)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7350301
- Airframe hours
- 6,678
- Engines
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Louis Fly Academy Ltd
- Registered owner
- Louis Fly Academy Ltd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- EEN · Keene, NH
- Destination
- FRG · Farmingdale, NY
- Airport
- 7B2 · Northampton Airport, runway 32, 3,365 × 50 ft, concrete
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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 5, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 499 total · 76 in this make and model · 418 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- CEF, 9 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 11, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 791 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.