Piper PA34 accident near Mount Pleasant, Texas, November 25, 2019
On November 25, 2019 at about 10:10 pm local time, a 1972 Piper PA34, registered N15412, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Mount Pleasant, Texas (Mount Pleasant Rgnl airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's hard, bounced landing and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a fracture of the nose landing gear mounting structure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 2019 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Pleasant, Texas · Mount Pleasant Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA34 200, built 1972 · all PA34s on the register
- Registration
- N15412 · no longer on the register · serial 34-7350060
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the instructional cross-country flight, the pilot receiving instruction was in the left seat and manipulating the flight controls. During the landing attempt, the airplane bounced and became airborne again with a nose-high pitch attitude. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and continued the landing. Witnesses observed the airplane land hard, bounce, then the nose gear collapsed and punctured the fuselage and the windscreen. The airplane slid on the runway and came to rest upright. A postaccident examination revealed that the nose landing gear mounting structure was fractured at the lower truss. The mount was displaced upward and punctured the fuselage. The nose tire was partially deflated. The damage to the mounting structure was consistent with a hard landing on the nose landing gear.
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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 485 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 345 as pilot in command; 206 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 210 hours in all; 4 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,482.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 12, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,999 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: US Aviation Group LLC
The flight
- Departed from: DTO Denton TX at 1:10 pm
- Destination: OSA Mount Pleasant TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,004 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on February 26, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Correspondence - Emails (Pilot) | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Records of Conversation | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Reports from Parties to the Investigation (Piper) | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Maintenance Records - Excerpts | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | ADS-B Raw Data | data file | Download |
| 8 | Correspondence - Chief Flight Instructor (Emails) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.