Piper PA-32RT-300 accident near Brevard, North Carolina, March 7, 2021
On March 7, 2021 at about 5:58 pm local time, a 1978 Piper PA-32RT-300, registered N94GF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Brevard, North Carolina (Transylvania Community airport). It was a personal 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 improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing, overstress fracture of components of the left main landing gear, and subsequent runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 2021 · about 5:58 pm local time
- Place
- Brevard, North Carolina · Transylvania Community · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300 NO SERIES, built 1978 · all PA-32RT-300s on the register
- Registration
- N94GF · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7885115
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that prior to landing he obtained the automated weather report from a nearby airport and continued to the destination where he overflew the airport and entered the traffic pattern for landing. He noted the direction of the windsocks and that they favored the selected runway, and he continued his approach. He turned onto the base and final legs of the airport traffic pattern, and while on final approach maintained 85 knots with the flaps fully extended and the landing gear down and locked. The pilot-rated passenger described the landing as, “harder than normal” while the pilot described it as being, “moderate to hard.” After brake application the airplane veered to the left, which the pilot attributed to be from a “soft” right brake. The airplane went off the left side of the runway and yawed 180° coming to rest upright. The pilot also stated that he thought the wind may have shifted to a tailwind on landing. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the outboard portion of the airplane’s right wing was substantially damaged during the accident. The left wing immediately above the left main landing gear was also damaged and displayed signatures consistent with the landing gear strut being forced upward through the wing skin. Additionally, the left main landing gear strut had separated from the trunnion fitting assembly. The strut showed deep scratches and gouges consistent with being driven upward through the wing’s skin after it separated from the trunnion. No evidence of pre-existing cracking or fractures was noted on the trunnion assembly. The FAA inspector also examined the airplane’s brakes and noted no resistance when actuating the pedals from the left seat. Despite this finding, it is most likely that the airplane’s left main landing gear was displaced from its normal orientation during the hard landing, which resulted in the runway excursion.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 554 hours in all; 327 in this make and model; 435 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 12, 2019
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,532 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,450 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 10, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,734.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LYH Lynchburg VA at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 2,903 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 3 knots, gusting 5
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 51°F (11°C), dew point 22°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.71 inHg
- Observation at 12:59 pm from KNCP, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on July 20, 2021. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of NTSB Conversations | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.