N47611 – PIPER PA-34 – 2009-08-25 NTSB Accident Report

On August 25, 2009, a Piper PA-34 (N47611) was involved in an incident near Savannah, GA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The student pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during landing and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, resulting in a hard landing.

The flight instructor and student pilot were returning to the airport for landing after practicing maneuvers. According to the flight instructor, the airplane experienced a partial loss of communication radios en route and was cleared to land using light signals. The student pilot was flying the airplane and after a normal approach, just prior to touchdown on the runway, he abruptly pulled back on the control yoke. The airplane climbed approximately 10 feet as the flight instructor assumed control and pushed the control yoke forward. The airplane subsequently landed hard, which resulted in damage to the nose gear, the right engine propeller, and the nose cone structure at the base of the windshield.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA09CA484. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N47611.