Piper PA-34-220T N497MA

Summary

On 21 April 2004 at about 19:45 local time, a Piper PA-34-220T registered N497MA, operated by Rona W. Mitrovich, was involved in an accident near Willoughby, Ohio, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

21 April 2004 at 19:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Willoughby, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Willoughby Lost Nation Muni (LNN)

Coordinates

41.6839, -81.3897

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-220T

Registration

N497MA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Rona W. Mitrovich

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Spartanburg → Willoughby

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC04CA110

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor in this accident was the gusty wind conditions associated with thunderstorm activity.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot entered the traffic pattern for runway 23, a 5,028-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The airplane encountered moderate rain and gusty winds as it descended on final approach. The pilot said that as the airplane approached the runway, she did not add enough engine power in an adequate time frame to prevent a hard landing. The airplane bounced and came to rest on the runway. Subsequent inspection of the airplane revealed damage to the wing spar, fuselage, both engines, and propellers. A weather observation taken at an airport located about 16 miles southwest of the accident site included winds from 190 degrees at 16 knots, with 24 knot gusts, and a visibility of 8 statue miles with thunderstorm activity.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.