What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Student pilot was performing supervised solo takeoffs and landings on runway 27L at orlando-Sanford international airport.
According to the student's flight instructor who was observing the student from a near-by ramp area, the student performed two successful landings, but on the third attempted landing, the student executed a go-around during the landing flare and rejoined the traffic pattern for another landing attempt.
According to the student, as he attempted the fourth landing, he initiated another go-around because the aircraft was drifting to the left of the runway centerline. The student also stated that he may have flared "a little high" and the aircraft began to "sink."
The student further stated that as he applied full power to initiate the go-around, the aircraft banked sharply to the left and continued banking to the left until the left wing tip contacted the ground.
The student's flight instructor stated that he observed N497DA reach an angle of bank of approximately 80 degrees as the aircraft made an arcing left turn from a heading of approximately 270 degrees to a heading of approximately 180 degrees with the left wing tip in contact with the grass adjacent to the left side of runway 27L. The instructor stated that as the aircraft reached a heading of approximately 180 degrees, the left wing tip "dug" into the grass and the aircraft "cartwheeled" on it's left wing tip and "pivoted" almost 180 degrees before coming to rest in an upright position on the heading of approximately 020 degrees.
Evidence at the scene indicated that the aircraft's left wing tip contacted the ground approximately 20 feet outside of the runway's left edge of pavement at a point approximately 1,500 feet from the runway threshold. A second ground strike occurred at a point on an arching left curve at approximately 117 feet from the first strike mark. Thereafter, the left wing tip remained in contact with the ground on a arching curve for another 161 feet where a major strike mark provided evidence of an apparent "pivot" resulting the the aircraft striking the ground in an upright position approximately 54 feet thereafter and traveling another 65 feet before it came to rest in an upright position on a heading of approximately 20 degrees.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage to include the nose gear, right main landing gear, right aileron, and right flap separating from the airframe. Additionally, the tail section broke away from the empennage and separated from the airframe.
Evidence at the scene and statements from the student pilot and flight instructor appear to indicate that the student lost control of the aircraft due to application of full power to execute a go-around with the aircraft in a high angle of attack and slow airspeed condition resulting in a "torque roll" to the left and causing the aircraft to strike the ground.
As the FAA filed it
STUDENT PILOT WAS PERFORMING SUPERVISED SOLO TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS ON RUNWAY 27L AT ORLANDO-SANFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT'S FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WHO WAS OBSERVING THE STUDENT FROM A NEAR-BY RAMP AREA, THE STUDENT PERFORMED TWO SUCCESSFUL LANDINGS, BUT ON THE THIRD ATTEMPTED LANDING, THE STUDENT EXECUTED A GO-AROUND DURING THE LANDING FLARE AND REJOINED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR ANOTHER LANDING ATTEMPT.
ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT, AS HE ATTEMPTED THE FOURTH LANDING, HE INITIATED ANOTHER GO-AROUND BECAUSE THE AIRCRAFT WAS DRIFTING TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE. THE STUDENT ALSO STATED THAT HE MAY HAVE FLARED "A LITTLE HIGH" AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO "SINK."
THE STUDENT FURTHER STATED THAT AS HE APPLIED FULL POWER TO INITIATE THE GO-AROUND, THE AIRCRAFT BANKED SHARPLY TO THE LEFT AND CONTINUED BANKING TO THE LEFT UNTIL THE LEFT WING TIP CONTACTED THE GROUND.
THE STUDENT'S FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR STATED THAT HE OBSERVED N497DA REACH AN ANGLE OF BANK OF APPROXIMATELY 80 DEGREES AS THE AIRCRAFT MADE AN ARCING LEFT TURN FROM A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 270 DEGREES TO A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 180 DEGREES WITH THE LEFT WING TIP IN CONTACT WITH THE GRASS ADJACENT TO THE LEFT SIDE OF RUNWAY 27L. THE INSTRUCTOR STATED THAT AS THE AIRCRAFT REACHED A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 180 DEGREES, THE LEFT WING TIP "DUG" INTO THE GRASS AND THE AIRCRAFT "CARTWHEELED" ON IT'S LEFT WING TIP AND "PIVOTED" ALMOST 180 DEGREES BEFORE COMING TO REST IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION ON THE HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 020 DEGREES.
EVIDENCE AT THE SCENE INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT WING TIP CONTACTED THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET OUTSIDE OF THE RUNWAY'S LEFT EDGE OF PAVEMENT AT A POINT APPROXIMATELY 1,500 FEET FROM THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD. A SECOND GROUND STRIKE OCCURRED AT A POINT ON AN ARCHING LEFT CURVE AT APPROXIMATELY 117 FEET FROM THE FIRST STRIKE MARK. THEREAFTER, THE LEFT WING TIP REMAINED IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND ON A ARCHING CURVE FOR ANOTHER 161 FEET WHERE A MAJOR STRIKE MARK PROVIDED EVIDENCE OF AN APPARENT "PIVOT" RESULTING THE THE AIRCRAFT STRIKING THE GROUND IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION APPROXIMATELY 54 FEET THEREAFTER AND TRAVELING ANOTHER 65 FEET BEFORE IT CAME TO REST IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION ON A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 20 DEGREES.
THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO INCLUDE THE NOSE GEAR, RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR, RIGHT AILERON, AND RIGHT FLAP SEPARATING FROM THE AIRFRAME. ADDITIONALLY, THE TAIL SECTION BROKE AWAY FROM THE EMPENNAGE AND SEPARATED FROM THE AIRFRAME.
EVIDENCE AT THE SCENE AND STATEMENTS FROM THE STUDENT PILOT AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR APPEAR TO INDICATE THAT THE STUDENT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO APPLICATION OF FULL POWER TO EXECUTE A GO-AROUND WITH THE AIRCRAFT IN A HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK AND SLOW AIRSPEED CONDITION RESULTING IN A "TORQUE ROLL" TO THE LEFT AND CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO STRIKE 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.
Other reports on N497DA · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.