No fatalities

Hard Landing and Nose Gear Collapse After High Flare

Hillsdale, MI, United States

On September 17, 2018, a Piper PA22 135 was involved in an aviation accident near Hillsdale, MI. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's flare was too high, resulting in an aerodynamic stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

During landing, the pilot flared too high, causing an aerodynamic stall. The airplane landed hard, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered off the runway and nosed over, sustaining substantial damage.

Event Details

The pilot reported that during the landing approach, he flared too high, which led to an aerodynamic stall. Consequently, the airplane touched down hard, causing the nose landing gear to collapse. The aircraft then veered to the right, departed the runway surface, entered the dirt area, and nosed over.

Damage

The hard landing and subsequent ground impact resulted in substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the empennage.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable cause

The pilot's flare was too high, resulting in an aerodynamic stall.

Contributing factors

Capability exceededPilot