No fatalities

15 Oct 2016: PIPER PA 34 200 — Springfield, OH

Springfield, OH, United States

On 15 Oct 2016, a PIPER PA 34 200 was involved in an aviation accident near Springfield, OH. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s inadequate compensation for gusting wind during the 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 landing in gusty wind, a pilot's extra power led to a balloon after touchdown. A go-around attempt failed, resulting in a hard impact and damage to the nose landing gear and fuselage.

Accident Overview

A pilot reported that during the landing approach, extra power was applied to compensate for gusting wind conditions. After the main landing gear touched down, a sudden wind gust caused the airplane to balloon upward approximately 50 to 100 feet.

Go-Around Attempt

The pilot initiated a go-around maneuver, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The airplane subsequently impacted the runway in a flat attitude. The force of the impact pushed the nose landing gear upward, driving it through the top of the cowling.

Aircraft Damage

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Pilot Report

According to the pilot, the landing was performed with extra power to manage the gusty conditions. Following the balloon, the go-around was attempted but could not be completed successfully. The pilot did not report any issues with the airplane's systems or controls prior to the accident.

Contributing factors

Landing flare — Not attained/maintainedPilotResponse/compensation