No fatalities

6 May 2014: PIPER PA28 - 181 181 — Washin Air Inc. — Ho'olehua, HI

Ho'olehua, HI, United States

On 6 May 2014, a PIPER PA28 - 181 181 operated by Washin Air Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Ho'olehua, HI. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a second landing attempt, an airplane ballooned during flare, impacting runway with propeller and nose gear. Nose gear collapsed and separated; engine mount sustained substantial damage. No mechanical malfunctions reported.

Incident Overview

A pilot conducted a go-around on the first landing attempt. On the subsequent approach, the airplane experienced a ballooning effect during the flare. The aircraft then struck the runway with its propeller and nose landing gear, causing the nose gear to collapse and separate from the airframe.

Damage Assessment

A postaccident inspection revealed that the engine mount sustained substantial damage as a direct result of the hard landing. The pilot reported that the airplane had no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation prior to the event.

Pilot Actions

The pilot executed a go-around after the first attempt, but the second landing attempt did not proceed as intended. The ballooning during flare led to the hard impact with the runway surface.

The investigation focused on the sequence of events as described by the pilot, with no indications of preexisting mechanical issues.

Contributing factors

Incorrect use/operationPilot