Piper PA 34-200T accident near Gainesville, Florida, August 11, 2014
On August 11, 2014 at about 5:52 pm local time, a 1978 Piper PA 34-200T, registered N178SB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Gainesville, Florida (Gainesville Rgnl airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2014 · about 5:52 pm local time
- Place
- Gainesville, Florida · Gainesville Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 34-200T 220T, built 1978 · all PA 34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N178SB · registry record · serial 34-7870206
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, due to thunderstorms along his route of flight he elected to divert to a nearby airport. During landing, the aircraft nose landing gear contacted the runway and the airplane "bounced," which resulted in substantial damage to the forward bulkhead and the windshield center post. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot had originally been cleared for an approach to one runway and subsequently performed a go-around due to being above a "normal" glidepath. The flight was then cleared to land on a crossing runway, at the tower controlled airport, entered final for the crossing runway, and upon landing the airplane porposied three times before coming to rest. According to the pilot, there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation.
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 (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact 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 › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,697.8 hours in all; 655 in this make and model; 1,445.1 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 6, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 2013; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,751 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor TSIO-360-EB1A (piston); 50 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor LTSIO-360-EB1 (piston); 2,015 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTS Destin FL at 4:22 pm
- Destination: FMY Ft. Myers FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 11, 7,504 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KGNV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on November 3, 2014. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Written Statement to FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Record - FAA Inspector Statement, Excerpts | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum of Record - Gainesville Weather | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 1 - Airplane - Post Recovery (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 2 - Windshield Damage (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | 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.