- Date
- March 2, 2011, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Allentown, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9172VPiper PA 46-350P
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 18, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Allentown FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110302003329A
- Case key
- 78632
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 adequately compensate for crosswind conditions, resulting in a hard landing.
Findings · 4
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 reported that he landed the airplane in a right crosswind and wind gusts. He applied a right crosswind correction, flared, and touched down with the right main landing gear on the runway. When the pilot removed the right crosswind control corrections, the airplane landed hard and as the nose wheel settled onto the runway, the airplane swerved to the left. The nose landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall and forward baggage compartment supports. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical problems with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he landed the airplane in a right crosswind and wind gusts. He applied a right crosswind correction, flared, and touched down with the right main landing gear on the runway. When the pilot removed the right crosswind control corrections, the airplane landed hard and as the nose wheel settled onto the runway, the airplane swerved to the left. The airplane wheel barreled and the nose landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall and forward baggage compartment supports. The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9172V
- Reported as
- Piper PA 46-350P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4622038
- Airframe hours
- 3,341
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James J. Dooley Jr
- Registered owner
- D And H Air Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 18, 2010 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- BWI · Baltimore, MD
- Destination
- XLL · Allentown, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- XLL · Allentown Queen City Municipal, runway 25, 3,949 × 75 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
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 10, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,499 total · 3,321 in this make and model · 4,499 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 17 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- XLL
Docket · 10
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 3, 2011, 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.