19980918025489A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Aerovd L-39 · Phoenix, AZ · September 18, 1998

Date
September 18, 1998 · 18:00 local
Place
Phoenix, AZ
Airport
Williams Gateway Airport
Phase of flight
Sfl Final Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N44529
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX98LA298
Reported as
Aerovd L39
Reported engine
ZMDB AI25TL
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
7,400 total20 in this make and model32 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Acft landed short, struck a localizer antenna, and crashed.(.19) on September 18, 1998, at 1800 hours mountain standard time, an aero vodochody L-39 (single engine imported jet trainer), N44529, landed short of the runway and struck a localizer antenna at the Williams Gateway Airport in mesa, Arizona. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and there was damage to the antenna. Both pilots suffered minor injuries. The flight was terminating at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The purpose of the flight was a pilot check ride with a simulated engine out on approach to runway 30C. The pilot landed short of the runway and struck a localizer antenna. One of the pilots ejected and the other stayed with the aircraft. (.4) while attempting a simulated flame out (sfo) approach, the pilots initiated a go-around at 300 feet AGL. They applied full throttle but the engine did not spool up right away and they were not able to arrest their sink rate. About 10 to 12 seconds later the aircraft landed hard 700 feet short of the runway then veered off to the right. The second pilot got the airplane airborne again then touched down in the dirt. At that point the PIC took the controls and attempted to return to the runway, but the aircraft struck the localizer antenna with the right wing tip, which he had not been able to see from the back seat. About 150 yards before the airplane came to a stop, the second pilot ejected from the aircraft without warning. The aircraft came to rest upright in the desert brush. The aircraft pilot's operating handbook directs the pilot to decide whether to continue the landing or eject at a decision height of 800 feet AGL. The handbook also indicates that the spool-up time for the aircraft engine is 9 to 12 seconds. The PIC stated that he had expected the engine to spool up in '4 to 5 seconds.' Postaccident examination revealed that the flaps were at the takeoff position, 25 degrees down. The PIC reported that he thought the flaps were still full down at the time of impact. He had also reported that during the descent, it felt like 'the bottom fell out.' Bringing the flaps up before establishing a positive rate of climb can cause a sink rate of 500 to 700 feet per minute. The PIC further stated that he hadn't experienced any problems with the engine prior to the accide nt. (-23) PIC checking out other pilot in a/c. during an engine out approach a/c hit short of runway causing a/c to bounce back into the air and then collided back into the ground.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT LANDED SHORT, STRUCK A LOCALIZER ANTENNA, AND CRASHED.(.19) ON SEPTEMBER 18, 1998, AT 1800 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, AN AERO VODOCHODY L-39 (SINGLE ENGINE IMPORTED JET TRAINER), N44529, LANDED SHORT OF THE RUNWAY AND STRUCK A LOCALIZER ANTENNA AT THE WILLIAMS GATEWAY AIRPORT IN MESA, ARIZONA. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE ANTENNA. BOTH PILOTS SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT WAS TERMINATING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS A PILOT CHECK RIDE WITH A SIMULATED ENGINE OUT ON APPROACH TO RUNWAY 30C. THE PILOT LANDED SHORT OF THE RUNWAY AND STRUCK A LOCALIZER ANTENNA. ONE OF THE PILOTS EJECTED AND THE OTHER STAYED WITH THE AIRCRAFT. (.4) WHILE ATTEMPTING A SIMULATED FLAME OUT (SFO) APPROACH, THE PILOTS INITIATED A GO-AROUND AT 300 FEET AGL. THEY APPLIED FULL THROTTLE BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT SPOOL UP RIGHT AWAY AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO ARREST THEIR SINK RATE. ABOUT 10 TO 12 SECONDS LATER THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD 700 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY THEN VEERED OFF TO THE RIGHT. THE SECOND PILOT GOT THE AIRPLANE AIRBORNE AGAIN THEN TOUCHED DOWN IN THE DIRT. AT THAT POINT THE PIC TOOK THE CONTROLS AND ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE RUNWAY, BUT THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE LOCALIZER ANTENNA WITH THE RIGHT WING TIP, WHICH HE HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO SEE FROM THE BACK SEAT. ABOUT 150 YARDS BEFORE THE AIRPLANE CAME TO A STOP, THE SECOND PILOT EJECTED FROM THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT WARNING. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST UPRIGHT IN THE DESERT BRUSH. THE AIRCRAFT PILOT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK DIRECTS THE PILOT TO DECIDE WHETHER TO CONTINUE THE LANDING OR EJECT AT A DECISION HEIGHT OF 800 FEET AGL. THE HANDBOOK ALSO INDICATES THAT THE SPOOL-UP TIME FOR THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE IS 9 TO 12 SECONDS. THE PIC STATED THAT HE HAD EXPECTED THE ENGINE TO SPOOL UP IN '4 TO 5 SECONDS.' POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE FLAPS WERE AT THE TAKEOFF POSITION, 25 DEGREES DOWN. THE PIC REPORTED THAT HE THOUGHT THE FLAPS WERE STILL FULL DOWN AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. HE HAD ALSO REPORTED THAT DURING THE DESCENT, IT FELT LIKE 'THE BOTTOM FELL OUT.' BRINGING THE FLAPS UP BEFORE ESTABLISHING A POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB CAN CAUSE A SINK RATE OF 500 TO 700 FEET PER MINUTE. THE PIC FURTHER STATED THAT HE HADN'T EXPERIENCED ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDE NT. (-23) PIC CHECKING OUT OTHER PILOT IN A/C. DURING AN ENGINE OUT APPROACH A/C HIT SHORT OF RUNWAY CAUSING A/C TO BOUNCE BACK INTO THE AIR AND THEN COLLIDED BACK INTO THE GROUND.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.