NYC07CA053

Factual narrative

The student pilot/owner of the Piper PA-28-181 turned onto the final leg of the "routine" approach to the runway, with the flaps fully extended and engine power at idle. He initially noted that he saw four white lights on the precision approach path indicator (PAPI). About 1/2 mile from the runway threshold, he saw two white and two red lights on the PAPI. The pilot thought that he was "a bit low," but believed the airplane would be able to reach the runway; however, the airplane touched down about 30 feet before the runway threshold. During the landing roll, the nose landing gear struck the edge of the runway pavement, and collapsed. The pilot further stated, "What I should have done when it appeared that I was low on [the] approach and getting lower was to add power." The student pilot/owner of the Piper PA-28-181 turned onto the final leg of the "routine" approach to the runway, with the flaps fully extended and engine power at idle. He noted that he saw four white lights on the precision approach path indicator (PAPI), and about 1/2 miles from the runway threshold, he saw two white and two red lights on the PAPI. The pilot thought that he was "a bit low," but believed the airplane would be able to reach the runway; however, the airplane touched down about 30 feet before the runway threshold. During the landing roll, the nose landing gear struck the edge of the runway pavement and collapsed. The pilot further stated, "What I should have done when it appeared that I was low on [the] approach and getting lower was to add power." Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12