Accident Brief: Piper PA60 Aerostar Accident In Arizona
Four were injured in Sedona, Arizona.
The pilot reported that, while on approach to land, he felt that the airplane was a little slow and below the glidepath. He corrected by adding power and reestablishing on the visual approach slope indicator glidepath and continued the landing. However, when the airplane reached the approach end of the runway, it aerodynamically stalled. He lowered the nose, and the airplane landed about 15 ft short of the runway threshold runway. The airplane bounced onto the runway, veered right, and exited the runway onto the adjacent field, and the landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable cause(s): The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during landing in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
NOTE: The report republished here is from the NTSB, and is printed verbatim and in its complete form.
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