Piper PA-34-200T accident near Chatham, Massachusetts, August 10, 1999
On August 10, 1999 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N31743, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chatham, Massachusetts (Chatham Municipal 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 improper flare and improper recovery from 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 10, 1999 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chatham, Massachusetts · Chatham Municipal Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N31743 · no longer on the register · serial 34-7870264
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot made a hard landing in his light twin-engine airplane. He thought the airplane had encountered a sudden downdraft during the flare, and a witness stated that it had dropped suddenly from 3-5 feet. It landed on the main landing gear first, followed by the nose gear immediately afterwards. It then bounced twice, coming down hard on the nose gear both times, before finally staying on the ground. Winds at the time were 5 knots, 60 degrees off the nose of the airplane, and two single-engine airplanes had landed ahead of the accident airplane without difficulty. The pilot had about 230 hours of flight time, and 78 hours in the accident airplane. He had received his multi-engine rating the previous day.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 231 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 159 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,509 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 1999; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DXR Danbury CT at 2:00 pm
- Destination: CQX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from CQX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N31743 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.