- Date
- May 16, 1989, 08:54 local (12:54 UTC)
- Place
- Gainesville, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N43797Piper PA-32R-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890516011629A
- Case key
- 32433
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
Pilot's inability to properly flare due to a high sink rate as a result of insufficient airspeed which resulted in a hard landing short of and off of the runway.
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 flt was cruising in VFR conds when radio contact was lost with center. The plt descended & returned to gnv. He stated that he was unable to fully extend & lock the gear using normal & emerg means due to a loss of elect power. An aprch was flown for the rwy with the main gear down & the nose gear in an undetermined position. The plt stated that on short final aprch, he saw that he was going to be short of the rwy & attempted to add power but the engine did not respond. A hard landing was made on the overrun section of the rwy which drove the main gear into the spar causing a partial collapse of the gear & major damage to the acft. The alternator was later examined by maint persnl who reported the brushes were completely burned out. Two witnesses, both of whom are cfis, stated that while on short final, they heard two power applications before impact but the acft had developed a nose hi attitude & hi sink rate which was not arrested prior to impact with the grnd. FAA personl later test ran the eng which checked out ok.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43797
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7780526
- Airframe hours
- 3,655
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540K, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Orthopaedics Associates, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Orthopaedics Assoc. Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 1988 · 152 hours before
- Departed
- GNV · Gainesville, FL
- Destination
- PNS · Pensacola, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- GNV · Gainesville Reg., runway 24, 4,147 × 100 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,307 total · 704 in this make and model · 1,257 as pilot in command · 51 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GNV
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.