- Date
- December 28, 2015, 11:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Stevensville, MD
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9083UPiper PA 46
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 5, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20151228022369A
- Case key
- 92508
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 pilots failure to maintain glide path, descent rate and landing flare, in off shore wind conditions, resulting in a hard landing short of the runway.
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
According to the pilot, he and his passenger embarked on a cross country flight and intended to land at an airport that borders the Chesapeake Bay. The airport runway approach path extends into the bay and the runway is about 133 feet from the water. The pilot reported that on approach he experienced "gusts/turbulence during the entire approach." The pilot recalled that he made a normal approach as he crossed the bay and when he was over land, he began to flare the airplane. He reported that the airplane "dropped suddenly and I touched down some 20 feet short of the runway" at approximately 75 knots indicated airspeed. The airplane impacted the ground, struck a runway light and became airborne. The pilot attempted to abort the landing by applying full throttle and setting the flaps to 20 degrees, however the airplane settled to the ground, shearing off the landing gear and coming to rest in the safety area north of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the both wings. The reported wind at the arrival airport was reported as being from 070 degrees at 8 knots. The runway heading at the arrival airport was 11. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he and his passenger embarked on a cross country flight and intended to land at an airport that borders the Chesapeake Bay. The airport runway approach path extends into the bay and the runway is about 133 feet from the water. The pilot reported that on approach he experienced "gusts/turbulence during the entire approach." The pilot recalled that he made a normal approach as he crossed the bay and when he was over land, he began to flare the airplane. He reported that the airplane "dropped suddenly and I touched down some 20 feet short of the runway" at approximately 75 knots indicated airspeed. The airplane impacted the ground, struck a runway light and became airborne. The pilot attempted to abort the landing by applying full throttle and setting the flaps to 20 degrees, however the airplane settled to the ground, shearing off the landing gear and coming to rest in the safety area north of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the both wings. The reported wind at the arrival airport was reported as being from 070 degrees at 8 knots. The runway heading at the arrival airport was 11. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9083U
- Reported as
- Piper PA 46 (310P)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46-8608039
- Built
- 1986
- Airframe hours
- 7,516
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-550C, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Fly Safely LLC
- Registered owner
- Fly Safely LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 15, 2015
- Departed
- LOM · Philadelphia, PA
- Destination
- W29 · Stevensville, MD
- Airport
- W29 · Bay Bridge, runway 11, 2,713 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, Stall warning system, Onboard weather
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, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 21, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,400 total · 1,700 in this make and model · 4,400 as pilot in command · 54 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.37 inHg
- Observed at
- KW29, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 10, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.4 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.