NTSB ANC23LA021 — 2023-02-10 · Tok, Alaska, United States

Current FAA registration · N44782

Make / Model: PIPER PA-32-260
Year of manufacture: 1974 · 49 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES (250 hp)
Seats / Engines: 6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19740916
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A56829

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N44782 Piper PA-32-260 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain a proper approach glide path, which resulted in a hard landing, short of his anticipated touchdown point.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during a landing attempt, the airplane descended below glide path and landed short of the runway. The airplane landed hard and sustained substantial damage to the firewall and engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ANC23LA021.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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