- Date
- October 12, 1994, 15:02 local (22:02 UTC)
- Place
- Palo Alto, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8154CPiper PA-34-220T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941012048189A
- Case key
- 28967
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 bounced landing recovery technique.
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 aircraft was landing on runway 30 with a gusty left crosswind condition. The pilot said he reduced power too rapidly in the landing flare due to his preoccupation with the crosswind and the aircraft landed hard on the main gear and bounced. The pilot reported that in the bounce recovery he did not use enough back pressure on the elevator control and the aircraft porpoised. After several oscillations, the nose landing gear collapsed.
Factual narrative
On October 12, 1994, at 1502 hours Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-34-220T, N8154C, porpoised following a bounced landing recovery and collapsed the nose gear at Palo Alto, California. The aircraft was operated by the West Valley Flying Club of Palo Alto, and was rented by the pilot for a personal cross-country flight. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The certificated commercial pilot and the two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The flight had originated at Sedona, Arizona, on the day of the accident at 1141 mountain standard time.
The aircraft was landing on runway 30 with a gusty left crosswind condition. The pilot said he reduced power too rapidly in the landing flare due to his preoccupation with the crosswind and the aircraft landed hard on the main gear and bounced. The pilot reported that in the bounce recovery he did not use enough back pressure on the elevator control and the aircraft porpoised. After several oscillations, the nose landing gear collapsed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8154C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-220T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7970391
- Airframe hours
- 2,248
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360E, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- West Valley Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Brian Marchant
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Provisional (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 9, 1994 · 183 hours before
- Departed
- SEZ · Sedona, AZ
- Destination
- PAO · CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- PAO · Palo Alto, runway 30, 2,500 × 65 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 695 total · 41 in this make and model · 537 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAO
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.