Piper PA-28-181 accident near Mesa, Arizona, June 17, 2023
On June 17, 2023 at about 2:13 am local time, a 2020 Piper PA-28-181, registered N28034, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Mesa, Arizona (Falcon Field 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2023 · about 2:13 am local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · Falcon Field Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181, built 2020 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N28034 · registry record · serial 2881357
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight school reported that the student pilot was conducting his second solo flight. In the landing flare the student pilot floated and began porpoising; hitting the nose wheel several times and striking the prop on the runway. The nosewheel collapsed sustaining substantial damage to the engine mount. There were no preaccident malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 73 hours in all; 73 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,035 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 15, 2023; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B4A (piston); 2,873 hours total
- Operator: Cae Oxford Aviation Academy Phoenix
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22L, 5,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 4°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.74 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from KFFZ
Weather report (METAR): METAR KFFZ 160154Z 29005KT 10SM CLR 34/04 A2974 RMK AO2 SLP046 T03440039=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The 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
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 26, 2023. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N28034 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Warrior, Archer and Arrow 18,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,839 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B4A 1,000 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Falcon Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,435 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR23LA238.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.