Piper PA-46-350P accident near Montgomery, Alabama, March 2, 2004
On March 2, 2004 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-350P, registered N91734, was substantially damaged in an accident near Montgomery, Alabama (Montgomery Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind and his failure to maintain directional control during landing roll that resulted in the collapse of the nose gear. The crosswind was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 2004 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Montgomery, Alabama · Montgomery Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-350P · all PA-46-350Ps on the register
- Registration
- N91734 · registry record · serial 4622040
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed on runway 28 with a crosswind from the left. After touchdown, the airplane yawed to the left. The pilot started correcting for the yaw but the correction felt to be too strong for the airplane to handle. The pilot allowed the airplane to drift to the left, eventually departing the runway on the left side onto the grass. Twenty yards from the runway, the nose gear dug into the soft grass and collapsed. Examination of the airplane revealed the nose gear collapsed, the propeller broken and damage to the firewall. The right main landing gear and the right wing tip were also bent. The nose gear trunnion was sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for a fracture analysis. The trunnion from the nose gear assembly was examined and the fracture faces contained no evidence of a fatigue crack or other preexisting condition leading to the fracture. According to the pilot's handbook the, the demonstrated crosswind component for the Piper PA-46-350P is 17 knots. The reported surface winds at the time of the accident were 200 degrees at 10 knots. The pilot's had accumulated a total of 1300 hours in the PA-46.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,875 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 15, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,159 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MGM Montgomery AL at 3:40 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 28, 9,010 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 200° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from MGM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL04LA114.