- Date
- March 20, 2016, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pflugerville, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N975MAPiper PA 46
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 1, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160320009639A
- Case key
- 92874
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 directional control during the landing touchdown in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in runway excursion, and nose gear collapse.
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
The pilot reported that during touch down in gusty crosswind conditions, the airplane veered off the runway to the left. He further reported when he corrected to get back onto the runway the nose gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. According to the pilot there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during touch down in gusty crosswind conditions, the airplane veered off the runway to the left. He further reported when he corrected to get back onto the runway the nose gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. According to the pilot there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N975MA
- Reported as
- Piper PA 46 (350P)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4636475
- Built
- 2010
- Airframe hours
- 773
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Southworth Aircraft Inc,
- Registered owner
- Southworth Aircraft Inc,
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 5, 2015
- Departed
- TUP · Tupelo, MS
- Destination
- EDC · Pflugerville, TX
- Airport
- EDC · Austin Executive, runway 31, 6,025 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Auto-pilot
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
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 22, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,206 total · 730 in this make and model · 2,171 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 15 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.46 inHg
- Observed at
- KEDC
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 12, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.