Piper PA23 N78329

Summary

On 6 December 2020 at about 19:45 local time, a Piper PA23 registered N78329 was involved in an accident near Milton, Florida, 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.

Date

6 December 2020 at 19:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Milton, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Peter Prince Field Airport (2R4)

Coordinates

30.6376, -86.9937

Aircraft

Piper PA23

Registration

N78329

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA067

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to attain a proper touchdown point and his landing with a high approach speed, which resulted in a runway overrun.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner was conducting a no-flap landing in the multiengine airplane. The pilot stated that the left main landing gear brake failed on rollout, and the airplane then overran the end of the 3,701-foot-long runway. The left wing struck part of the runway’s lighting system, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s left wing. A witness stated that the airplane landed with at a high speed and touched down at/about midfield. A cursory examination of the airplane’s brakes following the accident revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions for failures that would have precluded normal operation. Review of the airplane’s maintenance records revealed that the airplane did not have a current annual inspection. Further, the pilot did not hold a multi-engine rating for airplanes, did maintain a personal flight logbook, did not have an endorsement documenting a flight review (or other equivalent proficiency) within the preceding 24 calendar months. Based on the pilot’s lack of certification to operate multiengine airplane and proof of recent flight history, he was likely not proficient in operating the airplane. Further, he likely landed long and fast with insufficient runway remaining to slow down, which resulted in the runway overrun.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.