NTSB CEN20CA232 — 2020-06-16 · Ely, Minnesota, United States

Current FAA registration · N27RZ

Make / Model: PIPER PA 46-350P
Engine: LYCOMING TI0-540 SER (310 hp)
Seats / Engines: 6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20021117
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A2A5B2

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N27RZ Piper PA46 Minor

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing and the nose landing gear collapse during a gusty landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he encountered moderate to severe turbulence below 5,000 ft mean sea level while descending to land on runway 30. During the landing flare the left wing abruptly raised up. The airplane touched down hard and bounced. The airplane settled down, the nose wheel collapsed, and the airplane skidded to a stop. The engine mount sustained substantial damage. The prevailing wind was from 230° at 11 knots gusting to 15 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Ability to respond/compensate
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN20CA232.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (turbulence). All research papers