- Date
- March 26, 1994, 11:49 local (16:49 UTC)
- Place
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N69978Cessna 310Q
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940326018329A
- Case key
- 37517
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-in-command's inadvertent landing with the brakes on, resulting in a bounced landing and his failure to maintain airspeed after a bounced landing which resulted in the aircraft stalling and landing hard.
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 stated that the left wing dropped after touchdown due to a flat left main tire. He attempted to raise the wing at which time the aircraft bounced up and became airborne. The aircraft then touched down hard. The left main tire was found to have a large flat spot on it. A witness reported seeing smoke come from the left main tire at touchdown.
Factual narrative
On March 26, 1994, about 1149 eastern standard time, a Cessna 310Q, N69978, registered to Susan G Aviation Services, Inc., was damaged during landing at Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the commercial-rated pilot was not injured. The flight originated at North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on March 26, 1994, about 0800.
The pilot he approached runway 13 at Palm Beach International Airport and landed on the "numbers". The left side of the aircraft dipped after touchdown as if the left main tire was flat. He attempted to level the aircraft's wings. The aircraft bounced into the air and then touched down hard. He pulled off the runway and stopped the aircraft. The left main tire was flat. He then called for assistance.
Examination of the aircraft by a aircraft mechanic indicated the left main tire had a large flat spot on it. He stated he was told by an unknown witness that reported observing the landing that smoke came from the left tire on touchdown.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N69978
- Reported as
- Cessna 310Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310Q1051
- Airframe hours
- 6,806
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-VO, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Peter L. Schaffer
- Registered owner
- Susan G Aviation Svcs Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Provisional (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 5, 1994 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- CRE · N. Myrtle Beach, SC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PBI · Palm Beach International, runway 13, 6,930 × 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
- 54
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,750 total · 870 in this make and model · 1,650 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBI, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.