Piper PA28 accident near Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, November 13, 2024
On November 13, 2024 at about 7:16 pm local time, a 1978 Piper PA28, registered N6294C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (North Palm Beach County Genera 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 failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing in a gusting crosswind, which resulted in a hard landing and runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 2024 · about 7:16 pm local time
- Place
- Palm Beach Gardens, Florida · North Palm Beach County Genera · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 181, built 1978 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N6294C · registry record · serial 28-7890358
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings at his base airport. While on his first approach to landing, the pilot reported that the wind was very gusty and that the gusts were “stronger than anticipated.” Just before touchdown, a gust of wind pushed the airplane to the right side of the runway. The airplane landed hard and, the nose gear collapsed., and The airplane then went off the side of the runway and into a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the tubular engine mounts and cockpit floor. The pilot reported there were no anomalies or mechanical failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane and that it “was nothing but a bad landing due to a surprising downdraft and too low to recover.”
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
- Other weather encounter during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 588.2 hours in all; 463.2 in this make and model; 459.6 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 8, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,629.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 4, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 13 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 2:10 pm from F45
Weather report (METAR): METAR KF45 131910Z AUTO 06013G22KT 10SM BKN036 BKN046 26/19 A3001 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 5 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Airplane overview
Photograph 2 – Airplane overview
Photograph 3 – Runway damage and airplane at accident site
Photograph 4 – Damage to tubular engine mount
Photograph 5 – Damage to cabin floorThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on April 22, 2025. 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, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Mor - Pilot Itinerary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Maintenance Records - Memorandum of Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N6294C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.