PENN YAN, NY, USA
N60721
PIPER PA-601
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE MADE TWO UNSUCCESSFUL LANDING ATTEMPTS ON RUNWAY 10 BEFORE HE DETERMINED THE WINDS FAVORED A LANDING ON RUNWAY 28. DURING THE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 28, HE NOTICED POWER LINES AND CAMPERS AT THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, 'ON THE APPROACH, MY ATTENTION WAS DISTRACTED . . . BY THE WIRES . . . THE CAMPERS, (AND A) MOUND OF DIRT. I FAILED TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED AND STALLED THE AIRCRAFT AT APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 40 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY . . . I HIT THE POWER LINE AND WAS ABLE TO REGAIN SOME CONTROL . . . BUT IT DROPPED TO THE RUNWAY.'
On Monday, August 30, 1993, at 1230 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-601, N60721, piloted by Dr. Timothy A. Patrick, sustained substantial damage during a landing at the Penn Yan Airport, Penn Yan, New York. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91. In his report, the pilot stated: I elected to make an approach to runway 28. ...On this approach, my attention was distracted ...by the wires...the campers, [and a] mound of dirt...I failed to maintain adequate airspeed and stalled the aircraft at approximately 30 to 40 feet above the runway...I hit the power and was able to regain some control of the aircraft, but it still dropped to the runway. After landing, the pilot inspected the airplane. His report continued: The inspection showed that the plane had some damage, but it was not felt that it was severe enough to keep it from flying back to Altoona. The pilot reported that the winds were 5 to 10 knots at the time of the landing. On September 7, 1993, Mr. Thomas C. Mahoney, Aviation Safety Inspector (Airworthiness) for the Federal Aviation Administration, conducted an examination of the airplane at the Altoona-Blair County Airport, Altoona, Pennsylvania. In part of his report, Mr. Mahoney stated: Bottom of the left wing between the fuselage and the engine nacelle had heavy wrinkles in the skin from the leading edge of the wheel well... The top wing skin trailing edge rear of the left nacelle was buckled up about one inch from normal. Left rear side of the nose landing gear wheel well was cracked.
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with an obstacle and the ground. A factor is the pilot's diverted attention.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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