- Date
- May 31, 1992, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Landrum, SC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N523MHHopkins, R. And M. Protech PT-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920531020569A
- Case key
- 8608
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 failure of the pilot to maintain aircraft control during the landing attempt. Factors were the inadequate climb capability of the aircraft and the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot of the home built aircraft was taking off from a grass runway. On the initial climb, he obtained an airspeed of 45 knots, and an altitude of about 40 feet AGL. When he could not climb higher than 40 feet, he elected to land the airplane on the grass. He retarded the throttle, and the nose dropped sharply. The aircraft impacted the ground in a right wing low attitude, resulting in structural damage. A post crash inspection of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction or loss of engine power, and none was reported by the pilot. The aircraft had been flown 4 hours since new; this was also the pilot's total flight time in this make and model.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N523MH
- Reported as
- Hopkins, R. And M. Protech PT-2 (PROTECH PT)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- PT 1093
- Airframe hours
- 4
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hopkins, Richard G.
- Registered owner
- Hopkins, Richard G.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- 33A
- Airport
- 33A · Fairview, runway 14, 2,774 × 50 ft, grass/turf
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 62
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,300 total · 4 in this make and model · 1,300 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 6 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GSP, 16 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.