- Date
- December 6, 2007, 17:00 local (Dec 7, 2007, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fallbrook, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N44528Piper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20071206828889A
- Case key
- 67216
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 distance and altitude that led to an undershoot and a failure to obtain the proper touchdown point.
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
While on approach for landing, the airplane encountered a downdraft. The pilot attempted to arrest the sink rate by applying full power; however, the airplane landed hard and short of the runway, damaging surrounding vegetation and a runway edge light. After the hard landing the pilot was able to get the airplane airborne again and he decided to return to his home base airport. During the flight back to his home airport the left wheel and strut fell from the airplane.
Factual narrative
While on approach for landing, the airplane encountered a downdraft. The pilot attempted to arrest the sink rate by applying full power; however, the airplane landed hard and short of runway 18, damaging surrounding vegetation and a runway edge light. After the hard landing the pilot was able to get the airplane airborne again and he decided to return to his home base airport. During the flight back to his home airport the left wheel and strut fell from the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the main gear attach points and the adjacent structure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44528
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7405256
- Airframe hours
- 1,868
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pacific Coast Flyers
- Registered owner
- Gary Reamer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2007 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
- Destination
- Fallbrook, CA
- Airport
- L18 · Fallbrook Community Airpark, runway 18, 2,160 × 60 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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Military, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,428 total · 110 in this make and model · 3,112 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- CRQ, 14 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.