The aircraft, flown by a Private pilot, was substantially damaged when it made a hard landing at approximately 1524 Mountain time. Visual conditions prevailed; the pilot and single passenger were not injured. According to the pilot, he had been cleared to land on a vacant runway. While on short final, the tower cleared a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 for takeoff. “I was surprised that [the MD-80] did not do a rolling start and that he was not ordered to expedite for landing traffic,” the pilot wrote. The pilot said he considered a go-around, but decided against it because there were numerous airplanes following him. “I unexpectedly encountered severe turbulence from the engines of the departing jet at approximately 10-15 feet above the normal touchdown. The aircraft pitched up and the airspeed disintegrated rapidly, causing the aircraft to land violently on the mains, and bouncing me high off the runway. The aircraft bounced a second time and I applied full power in an attempt to save it. I could not generate enough lift and the aircraft impacted the runway the third time causing the nose gear to collapse. The aircraft skidded to a stop on the runway.” Further examination revealed the right wing upper skin was wrinkled.
September 13, 2006 in Colo. Springs, CO. / Piper PA-46T-350P
Key Takeaways:
- A private pilot's aircraft sustained substantial damage, including a collapsed nose gear, during a hard landing, though the pilot and passenger were uninjured.
- The incident occurred when the pilot, on short final, unexpectedly encountered severe turbulence (jet wash) from a departing MD-80 that had been cleared for takeoff on the same runway.
- The pilot chose not to execute a go-around due to following traffic, resulting in the aircraft pitching up, losing airspeed, bouncing violently multiple times, and ultimately skidding to a stop.
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