- Date
- May 30, 2009, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bloomfield, IN
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N817RAeropro CZ Eurofox
- Defining event
- Landing: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 73935
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 pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area.
Findings · 3
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
A sport pilot and a student sport pilot departed on a cross-country personal flight to the destination airport. The sport pilot was the flying pilot and the student pilot assumed navigational duties during the flight. They had been using a global positioning system receiver for the flight. When they arrived at the destination airport, the sport pilot twice overflew the runway. There had been a discussion between the pilots regarding the location of the runway. The sport pilot then established an approach to a recently plowed agricultural field located about 250 yards west of the runway and landed on that field. During the landing the nose gear dug into the soft soil and the airplane nosed over. Both wings were bent downward approximately 10 degrees, the pilot compartment frame was bent and the windscreen was broken.
Factual narrative
A sport pilot and a student sport pilot, who was the sport pilot's husband, departed on a cross country personal flight to the destination airport. The sport pilot was the flying pilot and the student pilot assumed navigational duties during the flight. They had been using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver AvMap EKP IV for the flight. The GPS navigation database had been expired but displayed the correct airport information. When they arrived at the destination airport, the sport pilot twice overflew runway 18 (2,160 feet by 150 feet, turf). There had been a discussion between the pilots regarding the location of the runway. The sport pilot then established an approach to a recently plowed agricultural field located about 250 yards west of the runway and landed on that field. During the landing the nose gear dug in to the soft soil and the airplane nosed over. The airplane came to a stop on the field within about 40 feet. Both of the airplane's wings were twisted downward approximately 10 degrees, the pilot compartment frame was bent and the windscreen was broken. Both pilots received minor injuries. The sport pilot was issued a sport pilot certificate on December 26, 2008, and accumulated a total flight time, based on logbook information, of 252.1 hours, of which 171.2 hours was instruction received. The student pilot accumulated a reported total flight time of 182.3 hours. Neither pilot had any previous failures towards an airman certificate/rating or any previous incidents/accidents.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N817R
- Reported as
- Aeropro CZ Eurofox
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25008
- Airframe hours
- 45.9
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pilot
- Registered owner
- Robell Air LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 24, 2009
- Departed
- BWG · Bowling Green, KY
- Destination
- 1I3 · Bloomfield, IN
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- 1I3 · Shawnee Field Airport, runway 18, 2,160 × 150 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- December 26, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 270 total · 251 in this make and model · 56 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 69
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Student, Sport Pilot
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 182 total · 162 in this make and model · 39 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 225° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 30, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 588 KB in all.