Piper PA 46 N9083U accident near Stevensville, Maryland

Probable cause

The pilots failure to maintain glide path, descent rate and landing flare, in off shore wind conditions, resulting in a hard landing short of the runway.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, he and his passenger embarked on a cross country flight and intended to land at an airport that borders the Chesapeake Bay. The airport runway approach path extends into the bay and the runway is about 133 feet from the water. The pilot reported that on approach he experienced "gusts/turbulence during the entire approach." The pilot recalled that he made a normal approach as he crossed the bay and when he was over land, he began to flare the airplane. He reported that the airplane "dropped suddenly and I touched down some 20 feet short of the runway" at approximately 75 knots indicated airspeed. The airplane impacted the ground, struck a runway light and became airborne. The pilot attempted to abort the landing by applying full throttle and setting the flaps to 20 degrees, however the airplane settled to the ground, shearing off the landing gear and coming to rest in the safety area north of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the both wings.

The reported wind at the arrival airport was reported as being from 070 degrees at 8 knots. The runway heading at the arrival airport was 11.

The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA16CA092 for the full record.