N345RP

On March 14, 1999, at 1550, eastern standard time, a Piper PA-46-350P, N345RP, collided with the ground, according to the pilot, during the landing roll at the Laurens County Airport in Laurens, South Carolina. The personal flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Instrument weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. According to the pilot, the airplane sustained substantial airframe damage. The commercial pilot and his five passengers were not injured. The pilot reported that the flight departed Darlington, South Carolina, at 1500.

According to the pilot, upon arriving at the Laurens County Airport, he established a final approach to runway 26. After the touchdown on the wet runway surface, the pilot reported that the braking action did not appear to slow the landing roll speed and a tailwind was encountered. The pilot then pulled back on the yoke, at which point the airplane climbed up slightly on the left side and impacted the ground. The airplane began to skid and continued off the left side of the runway. The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the airplane. A review of weather data from the nearest reporting facility disclosed that, the prevailing winds at the approximate time of the accident were 020 degrees at five knots with gusts to 19 knots.

According to the pilot, the airplane sustained substantial damage consisting of, bending of both left and right main wing spars, damage to the engine firewall, twisting of the fuselage, and separation of the nosewheel from the airplane.