Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT accident near Mansfield, Ohio, April 14, 2016
On April 14, 2016 at about 12:22 pm local time, a 2010 Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT, registered N197PS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Mansfield, Ohio (Mansfield Lahm Regional Airpor). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to inspect the nose landing gear (NLG), which resulted in a crack going undetected and the subsequent separation of the NLG at the weld area during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 14, 2016 · about 12:22 pm local time
- Place
- Mansfield, Ohio · Mansfield Lahm Regional Airpor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT, built 2010 · all PIPER SPORTs on the register
- Registration
- N197PS · registry record · serial P1001062
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot/owner was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot stated that, after the main landing gear touched down, he eased the backpressure on the control stick and that the nose landing gear (NLG) then separated from the airplane. The airplane slid on the runway surface. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the NLG had fractured at a weld area. An airplane manufacturer service bulletin (SB) called for periodic inspection of the NLG for cracks in the weld area every 25 hours. The pilot reported that the NLG had accumulated a total time in service of 371 hours at the time of the accident and that it was last inspected 31 flight hours before the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Failure
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 20,020 hours in all; 152 in this make and model; 11.8 in the last 90 days; 4.3 in the last 30 days; 10,414 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 14, 2014
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 371 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 26, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 371 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4G8 Columbia Statio OH at 11:45 am
- Destination: MFD Mansfield OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 9,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 am from MFD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 CEN16LA157.