Piper PA-28-140 accident near Danville, Pennsylvania, May 11, 2009
On May 11, 2009 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N8403R, suffered minor damage in an accident during landing near Danville, Pennsylvania (Danville Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain control during a landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 2009 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Danville, Pennsylvania · Danville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N8403R · registry record · serial 28-22280
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was landing at the conclusion of a cross-country solo flight. He reported that he encountered windshear about 3 feet above Runway 27, which caused a loss of control and he touched down on the nosewheel. A certificated flight instructor, who witnessed the accident, stated that the airplane was "about 20-30 feet" and began an "abrupt descent." The airplane impacted the runway hard. The impact resulted in a serious injury to the student pilot and minor damage to the airplane. The winds reported at an airport 12 miles southwest of the accident location, about the time of the accident, were variable from 330 degrees to 060 degrees at 7 knots. Neither the student pilot nor a Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported any preexisting mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane. The student pilot reported 87 hours of flight experience in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing defining event
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 › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 93 hours in all; 87 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,948 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 9, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N12 Lakewood NJ at 3:00 pm
- Destination: 8N8 Danville PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from SEG, 12 miles away
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.
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.