- Date
- August 4, 2013, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- West Mifflin, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N75131Piper PA-34-200T
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 13, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130804017039A
- Case key
- 87715
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
According to the pilot he encountered turbulence and gusting winds at his destination airport. During his landing attempt, the airplane landed hard on the nose gear, resulting in substantial damage to the forward bulkhead. The pilot did not report any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the weather revealed winds from 340 degrees at 7 knots with no gusts.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot he encountered turbulence and gusting winds at his destination airport. During his landing attempt, the airplane landed hard on the nose gear, resulting in substantial damage to the forward bulkhead. The pilot did not report any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the weather revealed winds from 340 degrees at 7 knots with no gusts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N75131
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7670225
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 3,200
- Engines
- Cont Motor TSIO-360 SER, 225 horsepower, reciprocatingCont Motor TSIO-360 SER, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hightail LLC
- Registered owner
- Hightail LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2012
- Departed
- FLD · Fond du Lac, WI
- Destination
- AGC · West Mifflin, PA
- Airport
- AGC · Allegheny County Airport, runway 31, 3,825 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 10, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 700 total · 50 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- AGC
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 4, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.0 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.