- Date
- June 26, 2019, 13:16 local (17:16 UTC)
- Place
- State College, PA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N497SAPiper PA34
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190626008049A
- Case key
- 99881
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 in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a bounced landing and landing gear collapse.
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, while landing with gusting winds, the airplane bounced several times. During the last bounce, the nose landing gear and the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered right, exited the runway, and came to rest in the adjacent grass. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of a multi-engine airplane reported that, while landing with gusting winds, the airplane bounced several times. During the last bounce, the nose and the right main landing gear collapsed, the airplane veered right, exited the runway and came to rest in the adjacent grass. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 260° at 11 knots, gusting to 16 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 24.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N497SA
- Reported as
- Piper PA34 (220T)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-8133109
- Built
- 1981
- Airframe hours
- 5,054
- Engines
- Continental TSIO-360-KB1B, 220 horsepower, reciprocatingContinental TSIO-360-KB1B, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kilo Sierra Llc
- Registered owner
- Kilo Sierra Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 22, 2018
- Departed
- CEF · Springfield/Chicopee, MA
- Destination
- UNV · State College, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- UNV · University Park, runway 24, 6,701 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 25, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 532 total · 60 in this make and model · 425 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- KUNV
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 26, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 782 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.