No fatalities

2 Feb 2015: PIPER PA-32-301 — BC AVIATION LLC — Valdosta, GA

Valdosta, GA, United States

On 2 Feb 2015, a PIPER PA-32-301 operated by BC AVIATION LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Valdosta, GA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to compensate for gusty wind conditions during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent nose landing gear collapse. 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 landing in turbulent, gusty winds, an airplane encountered an updraft followed by a downdraft during flare, impacting the runway. The nose landing gear collapsed, causing substantial damage to the engine firewall.

Accident Details

The accident occurred during the landing phase of flight. The pilot reported that the airplane was landing in turbulent conditions with gusting wind. During the landing flare, the airplane encountered an updraft, followed immediately by a downdraft. Subsequently, the airplane impacted the runway, resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear.

Damage

The collapse of the nose landing gear led to substantial damage to the engine firewall.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Weather Information

Review of archived weather information for the accident airport around the time of the accident indicated variable wind at 9 knots with gusts to 19 knots.

Conclusion

The source did not provide a probable cause for the accident.

Contributing factors

Causes

Landing flare — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Response/compensation