- Date
- February 24, 1997, 10:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Palo Alto, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4341MPiper PA-28-236
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970224001859A
- Case key
- 29731
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 flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a porpoise and subsequent overload failure of the nose gear.
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
An air traffic controller observed the aircraft bounce after touchdown, then porpoise three times down the runway with each bounce increasing in amplitude. After the third bounce, the nose gear collapsed, and the aircraft slid off the left side of the runway. The wind was from 010 degrees at 15 knots. Examination of the aircraft revealed no evidence of a brake failure or other malfunction.
Factual narrative
On February 24, 1997, at 1000 hours Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-28-236, N4341M, porpoised on landing and veered off runway 30 at the Palo Alto, California, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from San Jose, California airport at 0940.
The pilot reported that maintenance personnel had been asked to check the right brake because it was ". . .extremely soft. Maintenance reported that they had flown the aircraft several times and had no trouble with the brake." The pilot stated that on taxi he noticed that the right brake was still ". . .extremely soft but that it worked if pumped up." The pilot reported that the landing was normal, but during the landing rollout the aircraft drifted to the left. "I made the decision to go around and went full power with right rudder. The aircraft continued to drift left as I applied power and exited the runway. . .after landing I observed both wind socks straight out but at different angles with respect to the runway. I perceived the wind to be at 15+ KIAS with gusts at 20+ KIAS perpendicular to runway heading."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) controller on duty at the time reported the winds were from 010 degrees at 15 knots. The controller observed the aircraft bounce on touchdown, become airborne again, then porpoise down runway 30 three times with each bounce increasing in amplitude. On the third bounce, the nose gear collapsed and the aircraft slid off the left side of the runway. An FAA inspector from San Jose stated that she observed marks on the landing runway and the grassy area where the airplane came to rest. Flight control and engine continuity were established on scene with no evidence of a brake malfunction or other anomalies noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4341M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-236
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8411010
- Airframe hours
- 2,987
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Roger C. Hayward
- Registered owner
- J. David Powell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 14, 1997 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- SJC · San Jose, CA
- Destination
- PAO · CA
- 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
- 30
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,667 total · 23 in this make and model · 1,538 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 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.
Other investigations on N4341M · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.