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Improper recovery from bounced landing bends Piper

By NTSB · December 1, 2016 ·

According to the pilot, he flew the traffic pattern to a touchdown zone landing on runway centerline at the airport in Wachula, Florida.

However, after touching down, the Piper PA-46 “floated back up,” then touched down again “with authority.”

It bounced again, then “weather vaned some,” and he became concerned that the airplane was “chewing up runway.”

It then touched down a third time, but he did not pull back on the yoke. He subsequently heard the propeller strike the runway. The plane then veered off the right side of the runway, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the engine mounts broke.

Nearest recorded weather included winds that were about 90° from the right of the runway, at 10, gusting to 15 knots.

The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing during gusty crosswind conditions.

NTSB Identification: ERA15CA069

This December 2014 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.

About NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant events in the other modes of transportation, including railroad, transit, highway, marine, pipeline, and commercial space. It determines the probable causes of accidents and issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences.

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Comments

  1. Paul says

    December 2, 2016 at 5:01 pm

    As soon as the airplane bounced he should have opened the throttle full, leveled in ground effect and taken it around. Obviously he had an excess of speed which could have been used to help with the go around.

  2. Marc Rodstein says

    December 2, 2016 at 11:57 am

    A 5 knot gust is not that significant, and the total crosswind is well within the capability of the PA-46. The bouncing suggests to me that his problem was not the crosswind, but an excess of approach speed.

  3. walter m krupnak says

    December 2, 2016 at 9:44 am

    Appears as if people are not getting proper flight instruction. I think examiners are handing out pilot certificates.

  4. Hootowl says

    December 2, 2016 at 6:34 am

    Not too sure about this pilot’s ability to land a airplane with a crosswind. He might ought to take some training in crosswind landings.

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