On June 13, 1993, a Piper PA-25-235 (registration N6795Z) operated by Granite Sales, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Kutztown, PA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE PROPER GLIDEPATH AND EXECUTE A PROPER FLARE. LACK OF FAMILIARITY IS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During the first landing in a single-seat airplane, the pilot reduced power to idle at 150 feet. The aircraft touched down 50 feet short of the runway, causing the left main gear to separate at the tubular connection between the spring gear halves.
Incident Description
The pilot was performing his initial landing in a single-seat airplane. According to the pilot's account, the glide angle and touchdown point appeared satisfactory until the airplane was 150 feet from the runway edge. At that point, the pilot purposely reduced engine power to idle. As expected, the nose dropped, and the pilot applied back elevator. While the nose responded, the elevator input failed to maintain the flare angle to the runway edge. The landing occurred approximately 50 feet short of the runway. Upon impact, the landing gear failed at the tubular connection joining the left and right spring gear, resulting in the left main gear separating from the aircraft.