Piper PA-31T1 N701PT accident near St. Louis, Missouri

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to establish and maintain a stabilized final approach which resulted in a hard landing and runway overrun.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that his final approach was high and fast, and that the airplane touched down with excessive speed about halfway down the runway. Witness accounts also indicated that the airplane initially touched down about halfway down the runway at a higher than normal landing speed. One witness noted that the airplane bounced after the initial touchdown, during which the landing gear collapsed aft. The airplane then touched down a second time with about 250 feet of runway remaining. The airplane then proceeded to overrun the departure end of the runway, go down an embankment and into a cornfield. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage primary structure. A post-accident inspection of the airplane confirmed that the landing gear was fully extended, but displaced aft due to impact forces. Flight control continuity was established from the individual flight control surfaces to their respective cockpit controls. Mechanical continuity was also confirmed from the cockpit power levers and propeller controls to their respective components. No pre-impact anomalies were identified that would have precluded the normal operation of the airplane. The airplane’s pilot operating handbook indicated that the required landing distance on a level hard-surfaced runway, without a headwind and without propeller reversing capability, was about 1,400 feet. The required landing distance with propeller reversing capability was about 825 feet.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN09LA389 for the full record.