Piper PA-30 N7532Y
21 December 2003 · Louisville, Kentucky, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 21 December 2003 at about 22:40 local time, a Piper PA-30 registered N7532Y was involved in an accident near Louisville, Kentucky, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Louisville, Kentucky, United States
- Nearest airport
- Bowman Field (LOU)
- Coordinates
- 38.2278, -85.6636
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30
- Registration
- N7532Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Athens → Louisville
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- IAD04CA006
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's improper flare, which resulted a hard landing. A factor was the glare from the setting sun.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane landed hard, and the landing gear collapsed. The airplane then skidded off the runway and collided with a taxiway sign and runway lights. The pilot subsequently reported that during the landing, about 10 feet above the ground, glare from the setting sun resulted in the loss of all attitude references, including the runway, horizon, and instrument panel. U.S. Naval Observatory data revealed that at the time of the accident, the sun was 3.2 degrees below the horizon, and 2.4 degrees to the right of runway centerline.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-30 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jun 2003 | Piper PA-30 | NewPhiladelphia, Ohio, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 22 Feb 2003 | Piper PA-30 | Nipomo, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 27 Oct 2003 | Piper PA-30 | Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Sep 2002 | Piper PA-30 | Gilford, New Hampshire, United States | Alan Emerson Aviation Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 17 Jan 2004 | Piper PA-30 | Clearwater, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 May 2004 | Piper PA-30 | Evanston, Wyoming, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Nov 2003 | Beechcraft J35 | Somerset, Kentucky, United States | Mock Air | Fatal | 3 |
| 27 Apr 2003 | Starnes QUICKIE Q-200 | Henderson, Kentucky, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Nov 2003 | Cessna C172R | Lexington, Kentucky, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Mar 2003 | Bell BHT-47-G3B2A | Lexington, Kentucky, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 2003 | Barness PULSAR I | Bardstown, Kentucky, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 2 Sep 2003 | Fairchild DORNIER 328-300 | Hebron, Kentucky, United States | Atlantic Coast Airlines | Serious injuries | - |