Piper PA-28R-180 N4631J

Summary

On 17 August 2004 at about 17:50 local time, a Piper PA-28R-180 registered N4631J, operated by Stafford Flying Club, Inc, was involved in an accident near Eliot, Maine, 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

17 August 2004 at 17:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Eliot, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Littlebrook Airpark (3B4)

Coordinates

43.1431, -70.7722

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-180

Registration

N4631J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Stafford Flying Club, Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sanford → Eliot

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD04CA038

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed above stall which resulted in a hard landing and collapse of the landing gear. Also causal was the flight instructor's inadequate supervision.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While turning to align with the runway during a simulated forced landing, the airplane overshot the runway, and the turn was continued to the right to come back to the landing surface. The flight instructor and the pilot each reported that about 6 feet above the runway, the airplane "stalled", "plummeted", and experienced a hard landing. The airplane shook during the landing roll, then veered right and departed the landing surface. The landing gear collapsed, the airplane came to rest, and the instructor and pilot egressed the airplane. When asked if they experienced any problems with the performance or handling of the airplane, each said no.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.