N25WE – PIPER PA 32R – 2018-05-14 NTSB Accident Report

On May 14, 2018, a Piper PA 32R (N25WE) was involved in an incident near Cape Carteret, NC. 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 pilot’s steep approach, which resulted in a hard landing and the collapse of the landing gear during touchdown.

According to the pilot in the retractable landing gear-equipped airplane, he set up for an extended final approach to the sandy turf runway. He waited until he cleared the trees, "then I dropped down to land." The main landing gear touched down first, followed by the nose landing gear. The main and nose landing gear collapsed upon contact with the runway. The pilot reported that the airplane slid about 300ft before it came to a stop on the right side of the runway.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, and the lower fuselage.

The Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Safety Inspector that examined the airplane at the accident site, reported that witnesses had stated that the pilot landed hard on the sandy turf surface. However, the pilot stated that he did not.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA18CA281. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N25WE.