Piper PA38 accident near Hartford, Connecticut, December 23, 2016
On December 23, 2016 at about 6:10 pm local time, a 1978 Piper PA38, registered N250YA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Hartford, Connecticut (Hartford-Brainard airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 2016 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Hartford, Connecticut · Hartford-Brainard · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA38 112, built 1978 · all PA38s on the register
- Registration
- N250YA · no longer on the register · serial 39-79A0341
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot reported that, during the initial landing, the airplane bounced. During a subsequent touchdown, the nose gear impacted the runway with a side load, and the nose gear collapsed. The airplane slid to a stop in a nose-down attitude on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine 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 defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 37 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,368 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 8, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 5,368 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: POU Poughkeepsie NY at 5:30 pm
- Destination: HFD Hartford CT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 20, 4,417 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
- Observation at 6:19 pm from KHFD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 21, 2017. 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 | Accident Photo | 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.