The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Atlanta, Georgia
Piper Aircraft; Vero Beach, Florida
N172MA LLC
Location: Cornelia, Georgia
Accident Number: ERA22LA079
Date and Time: November 29, 2021, 14:47 Local
Registration: N172MA
Aircraft: Piper PA46
Injuries: 3 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On November 29, 2021, about 1447 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-46-500TP, N172MA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cornelia, Georgia. The airline transport pilot and two passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot reported that he performed a straight-in visual approach to runway 6, a 5,500 ft-long, 100 ft-wide, asphalt runway at Habersham County Airport (AJR), Cornelia, Georgia. The airplane was on a correct glidepath and correct airspeed of 120 knots on short final approach. The main landing gear touched down first, followed by the nose landing gear. As soon as the nosewheel touched down, the
airplane pulled to the left. The pilot initially corrected with right rudder input, but the airplane pulled again to the left and the pilot again input right rudder deflection. The pilot relaxed right rudder pressure a second time and then the airplane pulled very aggressively to the left. He set the throttle to beta, applied both brakes, and right rudder, but the airplane departed the left side of the runway about halfway down the runway. The airplane traveled into a ditch and came to rest upright in a grass area next to the
runway.
Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector and a representative from the airframe manufacturer revealed that the left wing had separated from the airframe during impact with the ditch. Steering control continuity was confirmed from the rudder pedals to the steering horn. A primary flight display, multifunction display, and a fractured section of the lower nose-gear trunnion were retained for further examination.
The wind was recorded as calm at AJR about the time of the accident.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N172MA
Model/Series: PA46 500TP
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KAJR, 1447 ft msl
Observation Time: 14:55 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 13°C /-14°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.04 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Destin, FL (DTS)
Destination: Cornelia, GA
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 2 Minor
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 3 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 34.499852,-83.556665
Meridian veer-offs don't earn an on-site visit anymore. Does that mean these accidents are being attributed by default to pilots not centering the rudder before nose wheel makes contact?
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