- Date
- October 15, 2016, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Springfield, OH
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N55378Piper PA 34
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 10, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 94284
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 inadequate compensation for gusting wind during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
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 pilot reported that he landed with extra power to compensate for gusting wind. He added that, after the main landing gear touched down, the airplane encountered a wind gust and ballooned up about 50 to 100 ft. The pilot initiated a go-around but was unsuccessful. The airplane impacted the runway in a flat attitude, and the nose landing gear was pushed/driven through the top of the cowling. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he landed with extra power to compensate for gusting wind. He added that after the main landing gear touched down, the airplane encountered a wind gust, and ballooned up about 50 to 100 ft. The pilot initiated a go-around, but was unsuccessful. The airplane impacted the runway in a flat attitude and the nose landing gear was pushed/driven through the top of the cowling. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55378
- Reported as
- Piper PA 34 (200)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7350207
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 4,168.1
- Engines
- Lycoming LIO-360-C1E6, 200 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming LIO-360-C1E6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2016
- Departed
- MIE · Muncie, IN
- Destination
- SGH · Springfield, OH
- Airport
- SGH · Springfield-Beckley Muni, runway 24, 9,009 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, 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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 30, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 500 in this make and model · 998 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KSGH
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 29, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.2 MB in all.