Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Middletown, Delaware, December 1, 2008
On December 1, 2008 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N276, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Middletown, Delaware (Summit Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while landing in gusty conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 1, 2008 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Middletown, Delaware · Summit Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N276 · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7680095
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane was on short final approach for landing on runway 35, when he experienced a "sudden loss of airspeed and rapid increase in descent rate that was not altered by the application of power." The airplane landed hard on the runway, all three landing gear collapsed, and the airplane slid off the left side of the runway. The wing spar and engine firewall were substantially damaged. The pilot further stated that he was flying from the right seat, which made referencing the instruments more difficult, and he "encountered windshear." The winds at an airport located 10 miles northeast of the accident airport, about the time of the accident, were recorded as 280 degrees at 17 knots, with gusts to 34 knots.
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
- Other weather encounter during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,267 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 35 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 14, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,328 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TI0-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rbf Management CO
The flight
- Departed from: SMQ Somerset NJ at 8:50 pm
- Destination: EVY Middletown DE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,488 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 17 knots, gusting 34
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,300 ft; scat at 3,200 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from ILG, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
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.