GAA17CA139

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA46 · Midland, VA · December 2, 2016

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
December 2, 2016, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
Place
Midland, VA
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N4149RPiper PA46
Defining event
Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report April 10, 2017
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
General Aviation Accidents
Parties
FAA
FAA report
20161202022669A
Case key
94716

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 improper landing flare and subsequent hard landing while demonstrating a short-field landing and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.

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.

Performance/control parameters: landing flareAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedPiper PA 46-350P: 2 casesAll aircraft: 1,285 casesProbable cause
Use of equip/info: aircraft controlPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotPiper PA 46-350P: 40 casesAll aircraft: 9,295 casesProbable cause
Action: delayed actionPersonnel issues › Action/decision · Instructor/check pilotPiper PA 46-350P: 4 casesAll aircraft: 894 casesProbable cause
Attention/monitoring: monitoring other personPersonnel issues › Psychological · Instructor/check pilotPiper PA 46-350P: 2 casesAll aircraft: 200 casesProbable cause

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 receiving instruction reported that, during an annual insurance flight review, he was told to perform a short-field landing for the final landing. The flight instructor told him to be "50 ft. over the numbers at 75 KIAS [knots indicated airspeed], then go to flight idle, push the nose down, and land short." On short final, the pilot obtained the target altitude and airspeed, then reduced the power to flight idle, and the airplane dropped rapidly. He advanced the power lever, but the turbine-powered engine was slow to respond due to the spool-up lag, and the airplane landed hard and bounced. The pilot reported they taxied back to the hangar with no further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The substantial damage was discovered later during a Federal Aviation Administration evaluation for repairs for a ferry permit. The ferry permit was submitted after receiving an engineering evaluation on the structure of the fuselage to allow the company to fly the airplane to a more appropriate repair station. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The flight manual for the PA-46-350P states: "for a short field technique, flaps are to be full down, airspeed 78 KIAS, throttle as required. Once over the obstacle on final, throttle reduced to idle. After touchdown, brakes maximum."

Factual narrative

The pilot receiving instruction reported that during an annual insurance flight review, he was told to perform a short field landing for the final landing. The flight instructor told him to be "50ft. over the numbers at 75 KIAS (knots indicated airspeed), then go to flight idle, push the nose down, and land short". The pilot further reported that on short final he obtained the target altitude and airspeed, then reduced the power to flight idle, and the airplane dropped rapidly. He advanced the power lever but the turbine powered engine was slow to respond due to the spool up lag, and the airplane landed hard and bounced. The pilot reported they taxied back to the hangar with no further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The substantial damage was discovered later during a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) evaluation for repairs for a ferry permit. The ferry permit was submitted after receiving an engineering evaluation on the structure of the fuselage, to allow the company to fly the airplane to a more appropriate repair station. The pilot reported there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The flight manual for the PA-46-350P states: for a short field technique, flaps are to be full down, airspeed 78 KIAS, throttle as required. Once over the obstacle on final, throttle reduced to idle. After touchdown, brakes maximum.

Aircraft

Registration
N4149R
Reported as
Piper PA46 (350P)
Category
Airplane
Serial number
4636226
Built
1999
Airframe hours
2,165
Engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A-35, 560 horsepower, turbo prop
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · December 17, 2015
Departed
OKV · Winchester, VA
Destination
HWY · Midland, VA
Airport
HWY · Warrenton-Fauquier, runway 33, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
Equipment
ADS-B, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, 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 · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
48
Injuries
None
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane, Helicopter
Medical
Class 2, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
November 15, 2015
Seat
Left
Restraint
3-point
Flight hours
2,430 total · 263 in this make and model · 2,346 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Role
Flight instructor
Age
62
Injuries
None
Certificates
Airline transport, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
June 28, 2015
Seat
Right
Restraint
3-point
Flight hours
2,100 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
5,500 ft broken
Temperature
32 °F, dew point 27 °F
Altimeter
30.01 inHg
Observed at
KHWY

Docket · 2

The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 29, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 902 KB 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.