- Date
- March 22, 1995, 21:30 local (Mar 23, 1995, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- Boynton Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4546LPiper PA-34
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 29, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950322018779A
- Case key
- 37755
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 failure of the pilot-in-command to obtain the proper touchdown point and his failure to flare properly.
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 aircraft touched down hard on the nose landing gear with about 900 feet remaining on the 3,600-foot runway. The nose landing gear collapsed and the aircraft bounced into the air. The aircraft again touched down hard and the left main landing gear collapsed. The aircraft then skidded to a stop.
Factual narrative
On March 22, 1995, about 2130 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-34, N4546L, registered to Dave's Charters, Inc., landed hard at Willis Glider Port, Boynton Beach, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage, and the private-rated pilot and three passengers were not injured. The flight originated from Key West, Florida, on March 22, 1995, at 2030.
Investigation by an FAA inspector indicated the airplane landed hard about 3/4 of the way down the 3,600-foot grass runway. The nose landing gear dug into the turf and collapsed. The airplane bounced, landed again, and the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane then came to rest upright.
The NTSB was notified of this accident by the pilot on April 6, 1995.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4546L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7770301
- Airframe hours
- 2,915
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-KB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Biederman, Shervin
- Registered owner
- Dave'S Charters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 9, 1995 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- EYW · Key West, FL
- Destination
- 1X4
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 1X4 · Willis Gliger Port, runway 9, 3,600 × 300 ft, grass/turf
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 402 total · 68 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBI, 10 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.