- Date
- September 11, 2020, 20:43 local (Sep 12, 2020, 04:43 UTC)
- Place
- Homer, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7669YPiper PA30
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200911017939A
- Case key
- 102020
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 bounced landing and runway excursion.
Findings · 3
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 that he was seated in the right seat and the pilot-rated passenger of a twin-engine airplane was in the left seat. During the approach for landing, the pilot had his hand on the throttles and was providing input on the flight controls. The pilot-rated passenger reported that she also was giving some input on the controls with the pilot coaching her. The pilot reported that before landing, he asked the passenger to assure that her feet were not on the pedals. The passenger reported that on touchdown, the airplane bounced, and she released her hands from the controls so that she would not interfere with the pilot’s actions. The pilot reported that after the airplane touched down the second time, the airplane veered to the left. He added full right rudder input then added full power to the left engine in an attempt to regain control. Braking action is not available from the right seat position. Despite his actions the airplane exited the left side of the runway and came to rest in a ditch. The aft empennage separated, and the wings were substantially damaged. The extent of damage was consistent with a hard landing. The brakes were not examined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7669Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-746
- Built
- 1965
- Airframe hours
- 5,650
- Engines
- Lycoming IO-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- G & A O'Connor
- Registered owner
- G & A O'Connor
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 2020
- Departed
- ANC · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- AHO · Homer Airport, runway 22, 6,701 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 30, 2018
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 5,426 total · 46 in this make and model · 4,045 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.36 inHg
- Observed at
- PAHO, 1 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 9, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.