- Date
- July 2, 2005, 09:35 local (13:35 UTC)
- Place
- Allentown, PA
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N78SFPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 27, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20050702012999A
- Case key
- 61948
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 improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
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 the airplane touched down on the main landing gear, followed by the nose gear, and then bounced back into the air. He then added engine power, and landed without further incident. After taxiing to the ramp, the pilot noticed damage to the airplane's nose gear. Further examination revealed damaged to the nose frame assembly, and windshield frame. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions. He reported 3,700 hours of total flight experience, which included 16 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
Factual narrative
On July 2, 2005, about 0935 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200T, N78SF, was substantially damaged while landing at the Queen City Municipal Airport, Allentown, Pennsylvania. The certificated airline transport rated pilot, and four passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Saranac Lake, New York. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot reported that he was landing on runway 25, a 3,950-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The airplane touched down on the main landing gear, followed by the nose gear, and then bounced back into the air. The pilot added engine power, and landed without further incident. After taxiing to the ramp, the pilot noticed damage to the airplane's nose gear.
Further examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed damaged to the nose frame assembly, and windshield frame.
The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions. He reported 3,700 hours of total flight experience, which included 16 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78SF
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7770309
- Airframe hours
- 6,650
- Engines
- Continental TSIO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocatingContinental TSIO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gateway Aviation
- Registered owner
- RMR Air LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2005
- Departed
- SLK · Saranac Lake, NY
- Destination
- 1N9 · Allentown, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 1, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,700 total · 16 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 68 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- ABE, 6 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.