HUDSON, NY, USA
N999HF
PIPER PA-32-260
IT WAS A DARK NIGHT WHEN THE PILOT TOUCHED DOWN ON RUNWAY 3. HE STATED THAT HE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE CENTERLINE, AND HE APPLIED THE BRAKES AS THE AIRPLANES' SPEED DECREASED. A FEW SECONDS LATER HE SAID THAT THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO SWERVE, SO HE STOPPED ALL BRAKING FOR A MOMENT THEN HE REAPPLIED THE BRAKES WITH MORE PRESSURE IN THE RIGHT BRAKE AND RUDDER, AS THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS ON A ROUGH ICY AREA OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. HE STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE STRAIGHTENED OUT AND WAS STARTING TO VEER TOWARDS THE CENTERLINE; HOWEVER, THE LEFT WING STRUCK A SNOWBANK ON THE LEFT SIDE, AND THE AIRPLANE SPUN TO THE LEFT INTO A PILE OF SNOW COLLAPSING THE LEFT MAIN GEAR AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE NOSE GEAR. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THERE WAS NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, WHICH RESULTED IN AN ADVERTENT GROUND SWERVE. THE SNOWBANK WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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