- Date
- June 12, 1993, 20:25 local (Jun 13, 1993, 00:25 UTC)
- Place
- Kutztown, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6795ZPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930612033699A
- Case key
- 37331
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 failure to maintain the proper glidepath and execute a proper flare. Lack of familiarity is a contributing factor.
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 was conducting his initial landing in this airplane, which has only one seat. According to the pilot, 'the glide angle, touchdown point seemed good until at 150 feet from edge (of runway) when power was purposely reduced to idle. The nose dropped (expected) and then responded to back elevator (expected) but failed to hold the flare angle to the runway edge. The landing was 50 feet short of the runway. The gear broke at the tubular connection between the left and right spring gear (and) the left gear departed.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6795Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-2440
- Airframe hours
- 3,438
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Granite Sales, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Granite Sales, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 3, 1993 · 13 hours before
- Departed
- N31
- Airport
- N31 · Kutztown Aviation Service, runway 9, 2,070 × 250 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 330 total · 1 in this make and model · 270 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
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 N6795Z · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.