On September 13, 2006, a Piper PA-46T-350P (registration N71DH) was involved in an aviation accident near Colo. Springs, CO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane, resulting in an inadvertent stall. Contributing factors in this accident were the jet blast encounter, and the pilot's failure to initiate a go-around when he felt an unsafe condition existed. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot on short final decided not to go around despite a departing MD-80, encountered jet wake turbulence, landed hard, bounced twice, and the nose gear collapsed.
Incident Overview
A pilot on final approach to an active runway was cleared to land while the runway was vacant. Shortly thereafter, the control tower cleared a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 for takeoff. The pilot of the landing aircraft considered executing a go-around but decided against it because multiple aircraft were following him. He planned to touch down at a point before the MD-80 would rotate.
Sequence of Events
During the final moments of the approach, the landing aircraft encountered turbulence from the engines of the departing jet. The airplane pitched up, and its airspeed decreased rapidly, resulting in a hard landing on the main landing gear. The impact caused the aircraft to bounce. After a second bounce, the pilot applied full power. The aircraft struck the runway a third time, causing the nose gear to collapse. The airplane then skidded to a stop on the runway.
Damage Assessment
A subsequent examination of the aircraft revealed that the right wing upper skin was wrinkled.