- Date
- April 8, 2024, 11:19 local (15:19 UTC)
- Place
- Carrabassett, ME · On Airport
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6465PPiper PA-24-250
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20240408004179A
- Case key
- 194083
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 attain a proper touchdown point while landing in gusty wind conditions.
Findings · 3
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 attempting to land in gusty wind conditions in mountainous terrain. On short final approach, the airplane entered a rapid descent. The pilot attempted to go-around by applying full power. The airplane continued to descend and touched down short of the runway, after which the landing gear collapsed. The airplane traveled about 150 ft down the runway before coming to a stop resulting in substantial damage to the lower fuselage structure. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6465P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1580
- Built
- 1959
- Airframe hours
- 7,051.9
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1D5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Six Five Papa Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 19, 2023 · 11.3 hours before
- Departed
- KASH · Nashua, NH
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- B21 · Sugarloaf Rgnl, runway 17/35, 2,797 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, 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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 31, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,151 total · 720 in this make and model · 1,030 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- B21
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 29, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.9 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.
Other investigations on N6465P · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.