- Date
- April 8, 2006, 12:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Coalinga, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8068JPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20060408018889A
- Case key
- 64409
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 misjudged landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his inadequate recovery technique that led to a hard landing.
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 airplane bounced during landing, followed by a hard touchdown, and the nose landing gear separated. As a result, the firewall buckled. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions and that the accident was purely operational.
Factual narrative
On April 8, 2006, at 1220 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA 28-181, N8068J, bounced during landing and separated the nose landing gear while landing at Harris Ranch Airport, Coalinga, California. Air Desert Pacific was operating the privately registered airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot departed from Chino Airport, Chino, California, at 1000, and was landing at his destination airport when the accident occurred.
In a telephone interview following the accident, the pilot stated that the airplane touched down on runway 32 and bounced. As the airplane returned to the runway surface it impacted hard and the nose landing gear separated. The pilot stated that the accident was purely operational and there were no mechanical malfunctions.
This accident was upgraded from an incident after verification of the airplane damage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector on August 30, 2006. The inspector reported that the firewall was bent during the accident sequence. There had been no attempt by the operator to remove the airplane from Harris Ranch Airport, and was presumed abandoned by airport personnel.
According to the Chino airport manager, Air Desert Pacific ceased operations at Chino airport in April 2006.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8068J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8290084
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming O-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Air Desert Pacific
- Registered owner
- Ari Lapin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CNO · Chino, CA
- Destination
- 308 · Harris Ranch, CA
- Airport
- 308 · Harris Ranch, runway 32, 2,820 × 30 ft, asphalt
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 100 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8068J · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.