NTSB ERA23LA016 — 2022-10-11 · Morristown, Tennessee, United States

Current FAA registration · N5654W

Make / Model: PIPER PA-28-160
Year of manufacture: 1962 · 60 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19620928
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A73C76

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N5654W Piper PA-28 None

Probable cause & findings

The solo student pilot’s improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that he landed hard during which the nose landing gear (NLG) tire “blew out”, and the NLG strut collapsed. Subsequently, the airplane skidded to a stop on the runway. The engine mount was substantially damaged. The student 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.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ERA23LA016.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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