No fatalities

20 Mar 2016: PIPER PA 46 350P — SOUTHWORTH AIRCRAFT INC, — Pflugerville, TX

Pflugerville, TX, United States

On 20 Mar 2016, a PIPER PA 46 350P operated by SOUTHWORTH AIRCRAFT INC, was involved in an aviation accident near Pflugerville, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing touchdown in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in runway excursion, and nose 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

A pilot reported that during touchdown in gusty crosswind conditions, the airplane veered left off the runway. Correcting to return, the nose gear collapsed. Substantial damage to left wing occurred; no preimpact mechanical failures were noted.

Incident Summary

A pilot was landing an airplane in gusty crosswind conditions when the aircraft veered off the left side of the runway during touchdown. According to the pilot's report, after the airplane departed the paved surface, he attempted to correct the path back onto the runway. During this maneuver, the nose gear collapsed.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that the event unfolded as he touched down in gusty crosswinds. The airplane unexpectedly veered to the left, leaving the runway. He then applied corrective action to steer the aircraft back onto the runway surface. It was during this correction that the nose landing gear failed.

Aircraft Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. No further details on the extent of the damage were provided.

Mechanical Condition

The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. This suggests that the aircraft was functioning properly prior to the landing incident.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Response/compensation