Piper PA-28-235C N9468W

Summary

On 31 March 2020 at about 23:44 local time, a Piper PA-28-235C registered N9468W was involved in an accident near Omaha, Nebraska, 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

31 March 2020 at 23:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Nearest airport

Millard (MLE)

Coordinates

41.1986, -96.1147

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235C

Registration

N9468W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbus → Omaha

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20CA137

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, subsequent loss of directional control, and the airplane going down an embankment.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that, during landing following his third solo cross-country flight, the airplane touched down and then bounced. The right wing dropped, and the right main landing gear touched down, followed by the nose landing gear. The airplane turned hard to the left, but the airplane was too close to the runway edge to turn and remain on the runway, so the student applied maximum braking and raised the nose to try to slow the airplane. The airplane went down an embankment at an angle, the left wing struck the ground and separated from the fuselage, and the nose landing gear bent aft, which bent the engine mounts and buckled the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.