No fatalities

28 Aug 2018: Piper PA46 350P — Prm Enterprises Inc — Hartford, CT

Hartford, CT, United States

On 28 Aug 2018, a Piper PA46 350P operated by Prm Enterprises Inc was involved in an aviation accident near Hartford, CT. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot's failure to maintain a stabilized approach, which resulted in a combination of a hard landing and higher than normal ground speed upon touchdown exacerbated by the force applied as he aggressively applied the brakes and reverse thrust. 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 approach, a pilot was instructed to stay high and close. After reducing power on final, the airplane descended rapidly and landed hard. The nose gear collapsed following aggressive braking and reverse thrust.

Incident Details

The pilot reported that during the approach, the control tower instructed him to maintain a "high and close" position. After turning final, he reduced power, and the airplane began a rapid descent. He applied some power and back pressure to arrest the descent rate while beginning to flare, but the airplane landed hard and at a faster than normal speed.

Pilot's Account

As the nose landing gear touched down, the pilot applied reverse thrust and braked aggressively. Subsequently, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest on the runway. The pilot stated that the primary cause of the incident was his failure to maintain a stabilized approach, which resulted in a hard landing and higher than normal ground speed upon touchdown, exacerbated by the force applied during aggressive braking and reverse thrust.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and engine mount.

Post-Accident Findings

A post-accident examination revealed that a landing gear actuator bolt in the nose landing gear had sheared.

Probable cause

the pilot's failure to maintain a stabilized approach, which resulted in a combination of a hard landing and higher than normal ground speed upon touchdown exacerbated by the force applied as he aggressively applied the brakes and reverse thrust.

Contributing factors

PilotDescent/approach/glide path — Not attained/maintained