Piper PA-28-161 accident near New Haven, Connecticut, January 22, 2006
On January 22, 2006 at about 5:47 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N9284A, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Haven, Connecticut (Tweed-New Haven Airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper flare and inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control during landing and subsequent impact with a ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 2006 · about 5:47 pm local time
- Place
- New Haven, Connecticut · Tweed-New Haven Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N9284A · registry record · serial 28-8616041
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that he was conducting his second solo instructional flight, and was attempting to land the airplane on a 5,600-foot-long, 150-foot-wide, asphalt runway. He added that he did not properly flare the airplane, and that it touched down and bounced back into the air. He then added power to cushion the landing, the airplane touched down once more, and then veered left off the runway coming to rest upright in a ditch. The pilot did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane, and a postaccident examination revealed the right wing had sustained substantial damage.
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 - ON GROUND/WATER during landing - flare/touchdown
- ON GROUND/WATER ENCOUNTER WITH TERRAIN/WATER during landing - roll
Dual student
- Ratings: none, none, none, none
- Flight time: 29 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Robinson Aviation
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: HVN New Haven CT
- Destination: HVN New Haven CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 5,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°C, dew point 12°C
- Altimeter: 30.629999 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from HVN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC06CA057.