- Date
- June 21, 2003, 13:35 local (17:35 UTC)
- Place
- Mansfield, OH
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9298DPiper Saratoga II TC PA32-
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20030621029009A
- Case key
- 57309
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 wind conditions and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing. A factor was the gusty wind conditions.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he attempted to land on the first third of the runway, at an airspeed of 90 knots, while maintaining the runway centerline. During the landing flare, a wind gust turned the airplane approximately 10 degrees to the left. The airplane landed, went off the runway and into the grass, and struck runway lights and signs. Winds were reported as 30 degrees from the right, at 13, gusting to 17 knots
Factual narrative
On June 21, 2003, about 1335 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-301T, N9298D, was substantially damaged during a landing at Mansfield Lahm Municipal Airport (MFD), Mansfield, Ohio. The certificated private pilot and the two passengers were not injured. No flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at Tri Cities Regional Airport (TRI), Blountville, Tennessee, about 1100. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to a witness, an air traffic controller who was working the local control tower, he cleared the airplane to land on runway 32. The controller thought that the airplane was flaring a "little too high," and it landed on the left side of the runway. He thought he saw dust or smoke coming from behind the airplane and called crash, fire, and rescue. The pilot turned off at the next taxiway and the controller asked if everything was okay. The pilot said yes, and the controller directed him to taxi.
In a written statement, the pilot said that he attempted to land on the first third of the runway, at an airspeed of 90 knots, while maintaining the runway centerline. During the landing flare, a wind gust turned the airplane approximately 10 degrees to the left. The airplane turned to the left, went off the runway into the grass, struck runway lights and signs, then turned back onto the runway
The pilot said the landing was bumpy, but was unaware he had struck anything until he was parked at a hanger.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector examined the airplane on June 23, 2003. According to the inspector, the left main landing was partially separated from the airplane, the left wing was wrinkled, and the left fuel tank was punctured.
The pilot reported a total of 327 flight hours, of which, 123 were in make and model.
Weather reported at the airport, included winds from 350 degrees at 13 knots gusting to 17 knots, temperature 72 degrees F, dewpoint 51 degrees F, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.04 inches Hg. The visibility was 10 statute miles and clear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9298D
- Reported as
- Piper Saratoga II TC PA32-
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3257002
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert H. Harshbarger
- Registered owner
- Aims Air, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- TRI · Tri-Cities Regi, TN
- Destination
- MFD · Mansfield Lahm, OH
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 327 total · 122 in this make and model · 31 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.