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20220902015179A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Waco Classic 2T-1A-2 · Coldwater, MI · September 2, 2022

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 2, 2022 · 14:45 local
Place
Coldwater, MI
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N21GL
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN22LA410
Reported as
Waco Classic 2T-1A-2
Reported engine
Lycoming AEIO-360-B1G6
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
20,468 total195 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days
N21GLRegistered now · Waco Classic 2T-1A-2S/N 1200 · Built 2013Airframe modelWaco Classic 2T-1A-2Engine modelLycoming AEIO-360-B1G6Reciprocating

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.

On September 02, 2022 at 1445 local time, an experimental Waco corporation great lakes aircraft,privacy data omitted, registered to an aircraft manufacturer and operated as a demonstration/instructional flight by an ATP rated flight instructor received substantial damage following a loss of control and subsequent hard landing on the grass parallel to runway 07 branch county memorial airport (oeb) cold water, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 without a flight plan. Both the pilot and private rated passenger received minor injuries. The flight originated from the battle creek executive airport (btl), battle creek, Michigan at approximately 1400.

It appears the pilot and passenger were on short final when the aircraft stalled approximately 10 feet above the grass causing the aircraft to descend uncontrolled to the surface. On impact both main landing gear wheels separated from the gear legs causing the aircraft to dig-in and nose over with the aircraft coming to rest inverted.

Instructor stated this was the student pilot?s first landing in the grass parallel to runway 07. Additionally, because of different visual references from previous runway landings, it will appear the aircraft is closer to the ground than it actually is. The student pilot allowed the aircrafts airspeed to decay to the point the aircraft stalled above the grass and sustained a hard landing. The instructor pilot also stated he was unable to take control of the aircraft in time to prevent the accident.

Investigation shows the aircraft inverted and facing 180 degrees from the runway heading. All three propeller blades are broken and separated at the hub. Both upper and lower wing assemblies are damaged and twisted with collapse of inboard jury struts just forward of the front seat. The vertical stabilizer is crushed with both horizontal stabilizers also damaged. There was no post-crash fire. ELT did function as designed.

As the FAA filed it

ON SEPTEMBER 02, 2022 AT 1445 LOCAL TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL WACO CORPORATION GREAT LAKES AIRCRAFT,^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, REGISTERED TO AN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER AND OPERATED AS A DEMONSTRATION/INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT BY AN ATP RATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL AND SUBSEQUENT HARD LANDING ON THE GRASS PARALLEL TO RUNWAY 07 BRANCH COUNTY MEMORIAL AIRPORT (OEB) COLD WATER, MICHIGAN. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. BOTH THE PILOT AND PRIVATE RATED PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE BATTLE CREEK EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (BTL), BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN AT APPROXIMATELY 1400.

IT APPEARS THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE ON SHORT FINAL WHEN THE AIRCRAFT STALLED APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET ABOVE THE GRASS CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO DESCEND UNCONTROLLED TO THE SURFACE. ON IMPACT BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEELS SEPARATED FROM THE GEAR LEGS CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO DIG-IN AND NOSE OVER WITH THE AIRCRAFT COMING TO REST INVERTED.

INSTRUCTOR STATED THIS WAS THE STUDENT PILOT?S FIRST LANDING IN THE GRASS PARALLEL TO RUNWAY 07. ADDITIONALLY, BECAUSE OF DIFFERENT VISUAL REFERENCES FROM PREVIOUS RUNWAY LANDINGS, IT WILL APPEAR THE AIRCRAFT IS CLOSER TO THE GROUND THAN IT ACTUALLY IS. THE STUDENT PILOT ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFTS AIRSPEED TO DECAY TO THE POINT THE AIRCRAFT STALLED ABOVE THE GRASS AND SUSTAINED A HARD LANDING. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT ALSO STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT IN TIME TO PREVENT THE ACCIDENT.

INVESTIGATION SHOWS THE AIRCRAFT INVERTED AND FACING 180 DEGREES FROM THE RUNWAY HEADING. ALL THREE PROPELLER BLADES ARE BROKEN AND SEPARATED AT THE HUB. BOTH UPPER AND LOWER WING ASSEMBLIES ARE DAMAGED AND TWISTED WITH COLLAPSE OF INBOARD JURY STRUTS JUST FORWARD OF THE FRONT SEAT. THE VERTICAL STABILIZER IS CRUSHED WITH BOTH HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS ALSO DAMAGED. THERE WAS NO POST-CRASH FIRE. ELT DID FUNCTION AS DESIGNED.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB CEN22LA410Accident · Minor injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportColdwater, MIThe pilot receiving instruction’s improper flare during landing and the flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attach and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.Sep 2, 2022 · Substantial damage