NYC04CA110
2004-04-21 · Willoughby, Ohio, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport LNN
Current FAA registration · N497MA
- Make / Model
- PIPER PA 46-350P
- Engine
- LYCOMING TIO-540-AE2A (350 hp)
- Seats / Engines
- 6 seats · 1 engine
- Last airworthiness date
- 20110413
- ADS-B equipped
- Yes — Mode-S A62B2D
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor in this accident was the gusty wind conditions associated with thunderstorm activity.
Factual narrative
On April 21, 2004, about 1545 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-220T, N497MA, was substantially damaged while landing at the Lost Nation Municipal Airport (LNN), Willoughby, Ohio. The certificated private pilot and a passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Spartanburg, South Carolina. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot stated that she canceled her IFR flight plan, and entered the traffic pattern for runway 23, a 5,028-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The airplane encountered moderate rain and gusty winds as it descended on final approach. The pilot further stated that as the airplane approached the runway, she did not add enough engine power in an adequate time frame to prevent a hard landing. The airplane bounced and came to rest on the runway. Subsequent inspection of the airplane revealed damage to the wing spar, fuselage, both engines, and propellers. The pilot reported 1,788 hours of total flight experience, which included 416 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. A weather observation taken at an airport located about 16 miles southwest of LNN, included: winds from 190 degrees at 16 knots, with 24 knot gusts, and a visibility of 8 statue miles with thunderstorm activity. The pilot entered the traffic pattern for runway 23, a 5,028-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The airplane encountered moderate rain and gusty winds as it descended on final approach. The pilot said that as the airplane approached the runway, she did not add enough engine power in an adequate time frame to prevent a hard landing. The airplane bounced and came to rest on the runway. Subsequent inspection of the airplane revealed damage to the wing spar, fuselage, both engines, and propellers. A weather observation taken at an airport located about 16 miles southwest of the accident site included winds from 190 degrees at 16 knots, with 24 knot gusts, and a visibility of 8 statue miles with thunderstorm activity. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2004_NYC04CA110.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (thunderstorm). All research papers
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA) The Impact of Thunderstorms on Take-off Data in South Africa
Aviation and meteorology are entwined disciplines, as aviation occurs in the atmosphere. Prevailing weather conditions at take-off are of utmost importance to aviation.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM) Thunderstorm hazards flight research: Storm hazards 1980 overview
A highly instrumented NASA F-106B aircraft, modified for the storm hazards mission and protected against direct lightning strikes, was used in conjunction with various ground based radar and lightning…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings Operational evaluation of thunderstorm penetration test flights during project Storm Hazards '80
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is conducting a research project called Storm Hazards '80 in order to study the prediction, detectability and avoidance of the hazards of severe storm…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Preprint (Draft being sent to journal) Nowcasting Thunderstorm Anvil Clouds Over KSC/CCAFS
Electrified thunderstorm anvil clouds extend the threat of natural and triggered lightning to space launch and landing operations far beyond the immediate vicinity of thunderstorm cells.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR) An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal) Observations of severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops
Data derived from the flight tapes of two airliners that experienced severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops are used to produce quantitative descriptions of the turbulence and its environment.