- Date
- August 31, 2008, 18:00 local (Sep 1, 2008, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2981MBellanca 8GCBC
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 11, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20080831850729A
- Case key
- 69176
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot was landing on Runway 06, a 4,600 foot-long, by 80 feet wide gravel and partially paved runway. In the student pilot's written statement to the NTSB, he reported that he elected to land on the gravel-covered part of the runway, which was on the left side of the runway. During touchdown, the airplane bounced, and he attempted to recover, but the airplane drifted to the left, and the left wing struck tall brush. The airplane pivoted to the left, and the right wing struck the ground, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing, right aileron, and fuselage. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. At the time of the accident the closest weather observation facility, about 2 miles west of the accident site, was reporting winds as 110 degrees at 6 knots.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was landing on Runway 06, a 4,600 foot-long, by 80 feet wide gravel and partially paved runway. In the student pilot's written statement to the NTSB, he reported that he elected to land on the gravel-covered part of the runway, which was on the left side of the runway. During touchdown, the airplane bounced, and he attempted to recover, but the airplane drifted to the left, and the left wing struck tall brush. The airplane pivoted to the left, and the right wing struck the ground, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing, right aileron, and fuselage. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. At the time of the accident the closest weather observation facility, about 2 miles west of the accident site, was reporting winds as 110 degrees at 6 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2981M
- Reported as
- Bellanca 8GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 360-80
- Airframe hours
- 1,684.7
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Dave Whitmer
- Registered owner
- David Whitmer & Jeff Wall
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 2008 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- MTF · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- MTF · Fairbanks, AK
- Airport
- MTF · Metro Field Airport, runway 06, 4,600 × 80 ft, gravel
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 25 total · 25 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.72 inHg
- Observed at
- FAI, 2 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.