# Accident 20190730006739A: Williams Jim AVID MARK IV, Thompson Falls, MT, July 30, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 30, 2019, 15:20 local time
- Place: Thompson Falls, MT
- Airport: Private
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.7767° N, 115.4761° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.7767&lon=-115.4761&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4829W, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4829W-2019-12-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Williams Jim AVID MARK IV (registry code 05621I0, https://openairdocs.org/model/williams-jim-avid-mark-iv) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: WILLIAMS JIM AVID MARK IV
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 8,682 total, 7 in this make and model, 18 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB GAA19CA475](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA19CA475) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190730006739A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT:

AIRCRAFT OWNER/BUILDER IS A STUDENT PILOT WHO WAS FLYING WITH HIS CFI PRACTICING LANDINGS. THEY HAD BEEN FLYING OUT OF THE NEARBY PAVED AIR STRIP THAT MORNING AND THE CFI DECIDED THAT THE STUDENT'S LANDINGS WERE GOING WELL AND THEY COULD FLY OVER TO THE STUDENT'S PRIVATE GRASS AIRSTRIP TO PRACTICE LANDINGS. THE NEXT DAY, THE CFI BROUGHT THE PLANE OVER TO THE STUDENT'S STRIP TO PICK UP THE STUDENT AND BEGIN GRASS STRIP LANDING PRACTICE.

THE STUDENT AND CFI DEPARTED THE RUNWAY AND CAME BACK AROUND FOR THEIR FIRST LANDING OF THE DAY. UPON LANDING, THE STUDENT BOUNCED THE AIRCRAFT BACK INTO THE AIR. THE STUDENT ADDED THROTTLE TO GO AROUND BUT THEY WERE RAPIDLY RUNNING OUT OF RUNWAY AND OBSTRUCTION CLEARANCE. THE CFI TOOK THE CONTROLS AND KNEW THAT THEY WERE GOING TO CRASH, SO HE ELECTED TO TURN THE AIRCRAFT A FEW DEGREES TO THE RIGHT IN ORDER TO CRASH THE AIRCRAFT BETWEEN TWO LARGE TREES.

THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE TREES UPRIGHT AND THE MAIN ENERGY OF THE CRASH WAS ABSORBED BY THE LARGE TREES. THE CFI AND THE STUDENT BOTH SUFFERED INJURIES REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION.

UPON VISITING THE STUDENT AND THE CFI IN THE HOSPITAL ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT IT WAS APPARENT THAT THERE WAS A MISCOMMUNICATION DURING THE LANDING AND ATTEMPTED GO-AROUND. THE STUDENT STATED THAT HE THOUGHT HE HEARD THE CFI SAY "DON'T LAND" AFTER THE BOUNCE, SO HE APPLIED FULL POWER TO TRY AND GO-AROUND WITH INSUFFICIENT ROOM REMAINING IN THE DEPARTURE PATH. THE CFI STATED THAT AFTER THE STUDENT BOUNCED HE TOLD THE STUDENT TO "LAND." THE CFI ASSUMED THE STUDENT WAS GOING TO REDUCE POWER TO IDLE AND LAND ON THE REMAINING RUNWAY AND THE CFI WAS CAUGHT OFF-GUARD WHEN THE STUDENT ADDED FULL POWER AND PITCHED UP. BY THIS TIME THE CFI REALIZED THEY WERE OUT OF TIME AND TOOK THE CONTROLS LEADING UP TO THE CRASH. THE CFI ADMITTED THAT THE CRASH WAS FULLY HIS RESPONSIBILITY AND HE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE CONTROLS SOONER.

BASED ON THE INVESTIGATION AND THE CFI'S EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND IN BACKCOUNTRY OPERATIONS IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE WHILE THE CFI MAY HAVE HIGH TIME OPERATING IN REMOTE AIRSTRIPS, HE MAY NOT HAVE THE PROFICIENCY TO BE INSTRUCTING IN THIS TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT. THEREFORE, A COMPETENCY CHECK IN ACCORDANCE WITH USC 44709 IS BEING ISSUED.

TRIGGERED 44709 PTRS NM05201902771

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB GAA19CA475](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA19CA475), Jul 30, 2019: Avid Avid Mark IV (N4829W), Thompson Falls, MT, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot's failure to go-around after a hard, bounced landing and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a collision with trees at the departure end of the runway.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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