- Date
- March 23, 1995, 16:00 local (Mar 24, 1995, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Torrance, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N23680Piper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 24, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950323005299A
- Case key
- 29061
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 compensation for the existing 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 was landing on runway 29L when he experienced a sudden downdraft and landed hard. The winds were from 250 degrees at 18 knots. The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the aircraft.
Factual narrative
On March 23, 1995, at 1600 hours Pacific standard time, the pilot of a Piper PA-38-112, N23680, experienced a hard landing on runway 29L at Torrance, California. The aircraft, operated by South Bay Aviation in Torrance, was substantially damaged and the pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time. The winds were from 250 degrees at 18 knots. The pilot was on a local pleasure flight and had departed the Torrance airport about 35 minutes earlier.
The pilot indicated in his report that he was making a full flap landing to runway 29L at an indicated airspeed of 65 knots. When directly over the runway threshold at a low altitude, the pilot experienced a sudden downdraft and the aircraft landed hard on the main landing gear with the tail hitting the runway. The pilot was able to clear the runway and taxi to the ramp area.
The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the aircraft prior to the landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23680
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-81A0153
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- South Bay Aviation
- Registered owner
- Jeffrey Koehler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- TOA
- Airport
- TOA · Torrance, runway 29, 3,000 × 75 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
- 27
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 193 total · 74 in this make and model · 127 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 18 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TOA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.