# NTSB NYC02LA069: Piper P46T, N117NU, Philadelphia, PA, March 8, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 8, 2002, 08:45 local (13:45 UTC) - Place: Philadelphia, PA - Coordinates: 40.083332, -75.012496 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.0833&lon=-75.0125&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 10, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - NTSB case key (mKey): 54327 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC02LA069 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54327/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54327 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC02LA069 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing. A factor was the pilot's failure to flare during initial touchdown. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - flare/touchdown - recovery from bounced landing - improper, pilot in command (cause) - flare - not performed, pilot in command (contributing factor) ## Analysis The airplane was landing on runway 06. The pilot reported that he was high and fast. He did not flare, and the airplane touched down, nose gear first, and bounced. The pilot added power for a go-around, and then aborted the go-around. The airplane then touched down again, veered off the left side of the runway, traveled through 380 feet of dirt and came to rest in a grassy area. Both main landing gear had collapsed to the right, and the nose landing gear was bent to the right. The left wing had wrinkles in the upper surface of the skin, as well as damage to the flap and aileron. All propeller blades had damage to the tips. Weather reported about the time of the accident included winds from 060 degrees at 5 knots, with clear skies. ## Factual narrative On March 8, 2002, about 0845 eastern standard time, a Piper P46T, N117NU was substantially damaged while landing at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated from Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport (BDR), Bridgeport, Connecticut. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the personal flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot stated "...I came in a little fast and a little high, and when I touched down, I landed on the front tire and the plane porpoised. When I bounced in the air I tried to go around by applying power, but the engine took a second or 2 to spool and I didn't feel the power surge to take off again. I wasn't sure if I had had a prop strike which might have made it so the propeller could not give me enough power, or it was the slow spooling [of the engine] so I pulled the power back again. By this time I was off the runway and into the grass, which stopped the bouncing that was occurring on the runway. Once on the grass and no longer bouncing, I attempted to steer the plane back on to the runway, and that is when the landing gear collapsed...." According to an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA), there was damage to the flap, aileron, and wrinkles on the upper surface skin of the left wing. Both main landing gear had collapsed to the right, and the nose wheel was bent to the right. The propeller blades had damage to all four tips. After departing the runway, the airplane traveled through 380 feet of dirt and came to rest in a grassy area. In the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, in the section titled, "Recommendation (How Could This Accident Have Been Prevented)", the pilot reported: "I should have flared, not landed on front tire." According to the 0854 weather observation from PNE, the sky was clear, the visibility was 9 statute miles, and the winds was from 060 degrees at 5 knots. According to FAA data, runway 6 was 7,000 feet long, 150 feet wide, and had a asphalt surface. The airplane was originally delivered as a PA-46-350P. It was subsequently modified by a supplemental type certificate (STC), which replaced the reciprocating engine with a Pratt & Whitney Of Canada (PWC) PT6A-34 turboprop engine. According to the STC holder, the airplane was re-designated a P46T. The pilot reported his total flight experience as 719 hours, which included 76 hours in make and model, including 65 hours in the preceding 90 days. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N117NU](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N117NU), registered now, S/N 4636138, built 1998 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper P46T - Registry model: [Piper PA 46-350P](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-46-350p) (registry code 7104620) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney PT6A series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6a-series) (registry code 52034, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 4636138 - Airframe hours: 958 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34 550 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: John R. Jones - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, February 18, 2002, 11 hours before - Departed: BDR, Bridgeport, CT - Destination: PNE, Philadelphia, PA - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: PNE, Northeast Philadelphia Airport, runway 06, 7,000 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 51; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review December 14, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 719 total, 76 in this make and model, 614 as pilot in command, 65 in the last 90 days, 13 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 60° at 5 knots - Visibility: 9 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 48 °F, dew point 37 °F - Altimeter: 30.47 inHg - Observed at: PNE ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020308037619A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020308037619A), Mar 8, 2002: Piper PA46350P, Philadelphia, PA, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot stated that he was too fast on landing, hit the runway with prop and then attempted to go around. He then lost control of aircraft, and slid… ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 27, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54327. 607 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 607 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40392694&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.