- Date
- March 15, 1998, 18:45 local (Mar 16, 1998, 02:45 UTC)
- Place
- Van Nuys, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4442TPiper PA34-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980315003429A
- Case key
- 30053
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 led to an uncontrolled porpoise and eventual collapse of the landing 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
The pilot reported that he landed hard on the initial touchdown and heard a loud noise, which he attributed to a blown tire. After the aircraft ballooned up, the pilot reduced the power and the aircraft impacted the runway and subsequently slid off the runway. A witness to the accident reported that after touchdown the aircraft began to porpoise down the runway. The porpoise progressively deteriorated until the landing gear collapsed. Flight control continuity was established on-scene and no discrepancies were noted with the landing gear tires.
Factual narrative
On March 15, 1998, at 1845 hours Pacific standard time, a Piper PA34-200, N4442T, landed and porpoised down runway 16R at the Van Nuys, California, airport. The landing gear collapsed and the aircraft subsequently slid off the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the commercial rated pilot and two passengers were not injured. A third passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the local personal flight and no flight plan was filed.
In an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the Van Nuys Flight Standards District Office, the pilot stated that he landed hard on the first touchdown and heard a loud noise that he believed was a "tire popping." The aircraft ballooned up, the pilot reduced the power, and the aircraft impacted the runway. FAA operations and airworthiness inspectors noted that the main landing gear tires were inflated and showed no evidence of having deflated on impact. Due to the damage of the nose landing gear, the FAA inspectors could not verify the condition of the tire.
An FAA witness to the accident reported that after touchdown the aircraft porpoised down the runway. He stated that the porpoise got progressively worse until the landing gear collapsed and the aircraft veered off the runway.
FAA operations and airworthiness inspectors inspected the aircraft on-scene. Flight control continuity was established and no further anomalies were found. The on-scene investigation revealed that no airworthiness certificate, aircraft registration, or flight manuals were discovered onboard the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4442T
- Reported as
- Piper PA34-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7250098
- Airframe hours
- 7,028
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1E6, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Rose E. Melendez
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 18, 1997 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- VNY
- Airport
- VNY · Van Nuys, runway 16R, 8,001 × 150 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 820 total · 350 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VNY
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.