No fatalities

21 May 2018: PIPER PA28 150 — Farmingdale, NY

Farmingdale, NY, United States

On 21 May 2018, a PIPER PA28 150 was involved in an aviation accident near Farmingdale, NY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during short final, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and 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

A pilot reported a left wing drop on short final; a witness observed an aerodynamic stall. The airplane veered off the runway, sustaining substantial wing damage. No mechanical failures were reported.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that on short final, the airspeed was approximately 65 to 70 knots with full flaps. He observed the two-light precision approach path indicator showing two white lights. The left wing dropped, and he did not hear the stall warning horn. The left main landing gear touched down hard, causing the right main landing gear to collapse. The airplane veered off the runway to the right. The pilot stated that the airplane encountered an "air pocket" and crashed.

Witness Account

A witness located on the ramp observed the accident airplane head-on, noting it was flying very low and slow. The witness saw the airplane aerodynamically stall, and the right wing dropped. The right wing impacted the ground, followed by the right landing gear and the nose landing gear. The landing gear assemblies separated from the airplane, which skidded to an abrupt halt.

Aircraft Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings.

Additional Information

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not submit the NTSB Form 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report.

Contributing factors

PilotCapability exceededAttain/maintain not possible