- Date
- July 29, 1994, 14:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Towanda, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N43078Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 26, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940729020369A
- Case key
- 38810
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.
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
During an aborted landing attempt, the airplane struck the runway in a nose down attitude. According to the pilot, '....the approach appeared normal. Touchdown at first seemed to be good, but the (airplane) ballooned back up into the air. I intended to bring the wheels back to the runway by pushing forward on the yoke, but the plane bounced again in the air. At this point, I realized that I was in a porpoise, and that I would have to do a go-around. I started to push the throttle up and pull back on the yoke, but my reaction was too slow. The (airplane) came back down to the runway, nose first.'
Factual narrative
On July 29, 1994, at 1440 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA- 28-140, N43078, piloted by Ms. Susan E. Schulz, of Succasunna, New Jersey, struck the runway while landing at Towanda, Pennsylvania. The airplane received substantial damage and the pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the solo cross-country flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91.
In the NTSB Accident Report, the pilot stated:
...Touchdown at first seemed to be good, but the plane ballooned back up into the air. I intended to bring the wheels back to the runway by pushing forward on the yoke, but the plane bounced again up in the air. At this point I realized that I was in a porpoise and that I would have to do a go-around. I started to push the throttle up and pull back on the yoke, but my reaction was too slow. The plane came back down to the runway nose first....
The pilot reported the winds were calm.
According to the Airport/Facility Directory, runway 5 is 3030 feet long, 70 feet wide, and has an asphalt surface.
The pilot held a student pilot certificate. She reported her total flight time was 46 hours with 12 hours solo. Additionally, all her flying had been conducted in the Piper PA-28-140.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43078
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7425332
- Airframe hours
- 2,425
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Flight Leader, Inc., doing business as Flight Leader, Inc.
- Registered owner
- G. Allen Sewell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Limited (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 15, 1994 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- MMU · Morristown, NJ
- Airport
- N27 · Towanda, runway 5, 3,030 × 70 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
- 18
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 46 total · 46 in this make and model · 12 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °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 N43078 · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.