NTSB Factual Report

On March 4, 2003, at 1735 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32R-300, N4135Q, registered to Sky crafters Inc., and operated by a private pilot, collided with the runway during an attempted landing and the landing gear collapsed on runway 25 at the Hawkins County Airport in Rogersville, Tennessee. The personal flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The private pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The flight departed Tri Cities Regional Airport in Bristol, Tennessee, at 1640 on March 4, 2003.

According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to practice flight maneuvers for an upcoming commercial check ride. While practicing a power-off 180-degree precision landing to runway 25, the landing gear collapsed during touchdown. During the pilot's first attempt to practice this maneuver, he was high and executed a go-around. The second attempt at pattern altitude, when abeam his touchdown point he reduced the power to idle and began the maneuver again. The pilot turned towards the runway, extended the landing gear, and advanced the propeller lever to full forward position. As the pilot turned final, he overshot the runway centerline and made corrections to align the airplane. As the pilot maneuvered the airplane over the runway to land, the airplane settled hard onto the runway surface, and the main landing gear collapsed. The airplane slid down the runway approximately 300 feet and then into the grass on the left side of the runway for another 150 feet before coming to a stop.

Examination of the airplane revealed propeller, left and right wing, and landing gear damage. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane before the accident. The post-accident examination of the airplane also failed to disclose a mechanical problem.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's improper landing flare which resulted in a hard landing.