N8041B

On March 30, 2000, about 1545 Eastern Standard Time, a Piper PA-32R-301, N8041B, was substantially damaged while landing at the Goodspeed Airport (42B), East Haddam, Connecticut. The certificated flight instructor (CFI), and the certificated private pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument rules fight plan was filed for the flight that departed from Igor I Sikorsky Memorial Airport, Bridgeport, Connecticut. The instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the private pilot, a biennial flight review was being conducted, which was to include a short field landing. The airplane was flown to 42B to conduct the short field landing and the private pilot had expected to land on Runway 14, because the winds had been from a southerly direction. After flying over the airport, the windsock was observed to favor Runway 32. While on final to Runway 32, the airplane passed over trees and began to sink. Unable to recover from the sink with power, the airplane touched down in a field about 60 feet prior to the runway threshold and collapsed the left main landing gear. The airplane continued onto the runway, veered to the left, and back onto the grass, collapsing the right main and nose landing gear.

The winds reported at an airport 17 miles to the northwest of 42B, at 1556, were from 330 degrees at 7 knots.