Piper PA-32R-300 N276

Summary

On 1 December 2008 at about 21:50 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N276, operated by RBF Management Co, was involved in an accident near Middletown, Delaware, United States. 3 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

1 December 2008 at 21:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Middletown, Delaware, United States

Nearest airport

Summit Airport (EVY)

Coordinates

39.5192, -75.7208

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N276

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

RBF Management Co

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Somerset → Middletown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA217

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while landing in gusty conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane was on short final approach for landing on runway 35, when he experienced a "sudden loss of airspeed and rapid increase in descent rate that was not altered by the application of power." The airplane landed hard on the runway, all three landing gear collapsed, and the airplane slid off the left side of the runway. The wing spar and engine firewall were substantially damaged. The pilot further stated that he was flying from the right seat, which made referencing the instruments more difficult, and he "encountered windshear." The winds at an airport located 10 miles northeast of the accident airport, about the time of the accident, were recorded as 280 degrees at 17 knots, with gusts to 34 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.