- Date
- April 22, 2008, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N345RPPiper PA-46-350P
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080422832149A
- Case key
- 67882
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 recovery from a bounced landing. Contributing to the accident was the gusty wind conditions.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported the wind was "gusty and bumpy" during final approach to the destination airport. As the airplane "crossed the numbers" for runway 9, it touched down and "ballooned up" twice, before the pilot added power to avoid a stall. When it touched down again, the nose wheel broke off, and the propeller struck the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and firewall. At the time of the accident, the winds were recorded from 050 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the Piper PA-46-350P reported the wind was "gusty and bumpy" during final approach to the destination airport. As the airplane "crossed the numbers" for runway 9, the airplane touched down and "ballooned up" twice, before the pilot added power to avoid a stall. At the same time, the airplane touched down again, the nose wheel broke off, and the propeller struck the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and firewall. At the time of the accident, the winds were recorded from 050 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N345RP
- Reported as
- Piper PA-46-350P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4622096
- Airframe hours
- 2,721
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ralph Patterson
- Registered owner
- Annie Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2006
- Departed
- 34A · Laurens, SC
- Destination
- IGX · Chapel Hill, NC
- Airport
- IGX · Horace Williams Airport, runway 9, 4,005 × 75 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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 1, 2006
- Flight hours
- 2,291 total · 652 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 12 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- IGX
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N345RP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.