- Date
- March 15, 2012, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Charleston, SC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N832KFPiper PA-28-151
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120315003869A
- Case key
- 83147
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, which resulted in a hard 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 student pilot stated that the airplane touched down hard, bounced, and floated sideways before touching down again on the right main landing gear then the nose landing gear. The airplane's nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest upright on the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall. The owner of the airplane stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight. He entered the traffic pattern at the destination airport and stated that, while on final approach to the runway, he was "crabbing" the airplane. The pilot stated that the airplane touched down hard, bounced, and floated sideways before touching down again on the right main landing gear, then the nose landing gear. The airplane's nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest upright on the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall. The owner of the airplane stated there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N832KF
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-151
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7515163
- Airframe hours
- 4,227
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Hilton Head Flyers LLC
- Registered owner
- Hilton Head Flyers LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 18, 2012
- Departed
- LQK · Pickens, SC
- Destination
- JZI · Charleston, SC
- Airport
- JZI · Charleston Executive, runway 09, 5,350 × 100 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 27 total · 27 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- JZI
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 22, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 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.