N497MA

On April 21, 2004, about 1545 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-220T, N497MA, was substantially damaged while landing at the Lost Nation Municipal Airport (LNN), Willoughby, Ohio. The certificated private pilot and a passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Spartanburg, South Carolina. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The pilot stated that she canceled her IFR flight plan, and entered the traffic pattern for runway 23, a 5,028-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The airplane encountered moderate rain and gusty winds as it descended on final approach. The pilot further stated that as the airplane approached the runway, she did not add enough engine power in an adequate time frame to prevent a hard landing. The airplane bounced and came to rest on the runway.

Subsequent inspection of the airplane revealed damage to the wing spar, fuselage, both engines, and propellers.

The pilot reported 1,788 hours of total flight experience, which included 416 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.

A weather observation taken at an airport located about 16 miles southwest of LNN, included: winds from 190 degrees at 16 knots, with 24 knot gusts, and a visibility of 8 statue miles with thunderstorm activity.