Summary
On August 28, 2018, a Piper PA46 (N178DB) was involved in an incident near Hartford, CT. All 4 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 unstabilized approach and hard landing, which resulted in a nose landing gear collapse.
The pilot reported that, during approach, the control tower instructed him to stay "high and close". Once he turned final, he reduced the power and the airplane began a rapid descent. He added that, he applied some power and back pressure to arrest the descent rate as he began to flare, but the airplane landed hard and faster than normal. As the nose landing gear touched down, he applied reverse thrust and braked aggressively, subsequently, the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest on the runway.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and engine mount.
The pilot reported that a post-accident examination revealed that a landing gear actuator bolt, in the nose landing gear, had sheared.
This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA18CA529. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N178DB.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot’s unstabilized approach and hard landing, which resulted in a nose landing gear collapse.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot reported that, during approach, the control tower instructed him to stay "high and close". Once he turned final, he reduced the power and the airplane began a rapid descent. He added that, he applied some power and back pressure to arrest the descent rate as he began to flare, but the airplane landed hard and faster than normal. As the nose landing gear touched down, he applied reverse thrust and braked aggressively, subsequently, the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest on the runway.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and engine mount.
The pilot reported that a post-accident examination revealed that a landing gear actuator bolt, in the nose landing gear, had sheared.
The pilot reported that the primary cause of the incident was his failure to maintain a stabilized approach, which resulted in a combination of a hard landing and higher than normal ground speed upon touchdown exacerbated by the force applied as he aggressively applied the brakes and reverse thrust.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA18CA529