- Date
- May 21, 2014, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sussex, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9592WPiper PA-28-140
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 89246
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 maintain proper airspeed while on approach, and his subsequent failure to recover from a bounced landing, 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 private pilot was landing on a 3,499-foot-long, asphalt runway. He reported that the airplane's final approach speed was "too fast" and upon landing, the airplane began to bounce. After the third bounce, the airplane landed hard which resulted in substantial damage to the nose landing gear and firewall. The pilot further reported he did not experience any preaccident malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation, and that he should have aborted the landing after the first bounce. Winds reported at the airport, about the time of the accident, were variable at 7 knots.
Factual narrative
The private pilot was landing on a 3,499-foot-long, asphalt runway. He reported that the airplane's final approach speed was "too fast" and upon landing, the airplane began to bounce. After the third bounce, the airplane landed hard which resulted in substantial damage to the nose landing gear and firewall. The pilot further reported he did not experience any preaccident malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation, and that he should have aborted the landing after the first bounce. Winds reported at the airport, about the time of the accident, were variable at 7 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9592W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-23040
- Built
- 1967
- Airframe hours
- 3,950
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 22, 2014 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- LDJ · Linden, NJ
- Destination
- FWN · Sussex, NJ
- Airport
- FWN · Sussex, runway 03, 3,499 × 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
- 76
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 2, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 1,550 total · 950 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- FWN
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 2, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 621 KB in all.
Other investigations on N9592W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.