19990414003589A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Amtr Lightingbug · Crystal River, FL · April 14, 1999

Date
April 14, 1999 · 11:00 local
Place
Crystal River, FL
Airport
Homosassa Air Terminal Airport
Phase of flight
Go Round (Aborted VFR)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N450CH
NTSB investigation
NTSBATL99LA071
Reported as
Amtr Lightingbug
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
144 total77 in this make and model13 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 bounced on landing, turned right with the nose high, stalled, and crashed, other circumstances are unknown.(.19) on April 14, 1999, at 1215 eastern daylight time, a hoskins craig, homebuilt lightning bug airplane N450CH, collided with the runway while landing at the Crystal River airport in Crystal River, Florida. The airplane was operated by the private pilot under the provisions of title 14 CFR part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The pilot received serious injuries and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane departed Crystal River airport at an unknown time. According to a witness, the airplane landed fast and hard on runway nine. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced and stalled, colliding with the runway on the nose gear and one wing. According to a federal aviation administration inspector who examined the wreckage, the airplane received substantial damage to the cockpit and main wing.(.4) on April 14, 1999, at 1100 eastern daylight time, a hoskins craig, homebuilt lightning bug airplane, N450CH, collided with the runway while landing at the Crystal River airport in Crystal River, Florida. The airplane was operated by the private pilot under the provisions of title 14 CFR part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site, and no flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight. The pilot received serious injuries and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane departed enterprise, Alabama, at 0925. According to a witness, the airplane landed fast and hard on runway nine. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced and stalled, colliding with the runway on the nose gear and one wing. The pilot stated that he was landing at the Crystal River airport to refuel prior to flying to lakeland, Florida, at about 1130. He said that his approach speed on short final was slightly high. Upon touchdown, the airplane ballooned up about four to five feet. To avoid damaging the nose gear, he elected to go-around. He applied full power and retracted the nose gear but did not retract the flaps. The airplane drifted to the right. The right wing tip struck the ground and the airplane cartwheeled coming to rest inverted. The pilot released his seatbelt and crawled clear of the aircraft. Additionally, the pilot added, that his assessment of the accident was that his "focus on personal pilot proficiency was sub-standard." And in retrospect, he should have spent more time doing approach stalls at high altitude and more touch and go landings. (-23)on April 14, 1999 at 1110 EDT, a home built hoskins lightening bug n 450CH, registered to owner privacy data omitted crashed on langing at Crystal River airport (X31) Crystal River FL. VMC conditions prevailed at the time. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the pilot was taken to the hospital with a fractured pelvis. The flight originated in enterprise, al (edn) on 4-14-99 and was enroute to lakeland, FL with a fuel stop in Crystal River, FL.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT BOUNCED ON LANDING, TURNED RIGHT WITH THE NOSE HIGH, STALLED, AND CRASHED, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN.(.19) ON APRIL 14, 1999, AT 1215 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A HOSKINS CRAIG, HOMEBUILT LIGHTNING BUG AIRPLANE N450CH, COLLIDED WITH THE RUNWAY WHILE LANDING AT THE CRYSTAL RIVER AIRPORT IN CRYSTAL RIVER, FLORIDA. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY THE PRIVATE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91, AND VISUAL FLIGHT RULES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT. THE PILOT RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED CRYSTAL RIVER AIRPORT AT AN UNKNOWN TIME. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THE AIRPLANE LANDED FAST AND HARD ON RUNWAY NINE. UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED AND STALLED, COLLIDING WITH THE RUNWAY ON THE NOSE GEAR AND ONE WING. ACCORDING TO A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION INSPECTOR WHO EXAMINED THE WRECKAGE, THE AIRPLANE RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE COCKPIT AND MAIN WING.(.4) ON APRIL 14, 1999, AT 1100 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A HOSKINS CRAIG, HOMEBUILT LIGHTNING BUG AIRPLANE, N450CH, COLLIDED WITH THE RUNWAY WHILE LANDING AT THE CRYSTAL RIVER AIRPORT IN CRYSTAL RIVER, FLORIDA. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY THE PRIVATE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91, AND VISUAL FLIGHT RULES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. THE PILOT RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED ENTERPRISE, ALABAMA, AT 0925. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THE AIRPLANE LANDED FAST AND HARD ON RUNWAY NINE. UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED AND STALLED, COLLIDING WITH THE RUNWAY ON THE NOSE GEAR AND ONE WING. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS LANDING AT THE CRYSTAL RIVER AIRPORT TO REFUEL PRIOR TO FLYING TO LAKELAND, FLORIDA, AT ABOUT 1130. HE SAID THAT HIS APPROACH SPEED ON SHORT FINAL WAS SLIGHTLY HIGH. UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRPLANE BALLOONED UP ABOUT FOUR TO FIVE FEET. TO AVOID DAMAGING THE NOSE GEAR, HE ELECTED TO GO-AROUND. HE APPLIED FULL POWER AND RETRACTED THE NOSE GEAR BUT DID NOT RETRACT THE FLAPS. THE AIRPLANE DRIFTED TO THE RIGHT. THE RIGHT WING TIP STRUCK THE GROUND AND THE AIRPLANE CARTWHEELED COMING TO REST INVERTED. THE PILOT RELEASED HIS SEATBELT AND CRAWLED CLEAR OF THE AIRCRAFT.ADDITIONALLY, THE PILOT ADDED, THAT HIS ASSESSMENT OF THE ACCIDENT WAS THAT HIS "FOCUS ON PERSONAL PILOT PROFICIENCY WAS SUB-STANDARD." AND IN RETROSPECT, HE SHOULD HAVE SPENT MORE TIME DOING APPROACH STALLS AT HIGH ALTITUDE AND MORE TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. (-23)ON APRIL 14, 1999 AT 1110 EDT, A HOME BUILT HOSKINS LIGHTENING BUG N 450CH, REGISTERED TO OWNER ^PRIVACY DATA ^ CRASHED ON LANGING AT CRYSTAL RIVER AIRPORT (X31) CRYSTAL RIVER FL. VMC CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE PILOT WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WITH A FRACTURED PELVIS. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED IN ENTERPRISE, AL (EDN) ON 4-14-99 AND WAS ENROUTE TO LAKELAND, FL WITH A FUEL STOP IN CRYSTAL RIVER, FL.

NTSB investigation

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