Piper PA-32-300 N87619

Summary

On 30 May 2007 at about 21:10 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N87619, operated by RAM Air Freight Inc, was involved in an accident near Columbia, South Carolina, 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

30 May 2007 at 21:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Columbia, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Columbia Metropolitan (CAE)

Coordinates

33.9364, -81.1183

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N87619

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

RAM Air Freight Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Myrtle Beach → Columbia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL07LA086

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper landing flare, resulting in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that on the landing flare, he heard a "loud bang" when the nose wheel touched down. The nose of the airplane "bounced" back into the air and the tail of the airplane struck the runway. The nose then settled back to the ground and the airplane came to a stop. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that the nose wheel fork was broken in two parts, and the empennage was buckled. The nose landing gear wheel fork was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board's Materials Laboratory for examination. The fracture features were on slant planes with a matte gray appearance consistent with an overstress fracture. No evidence of a preexisting damage was observed. The overall deformation of both legs of the fork was consistent with side loading.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.