- Date
- June 25, 2010, 08:20 local (13:20 UTC)
- Place
- Neenah, WI
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5609NAir Creation GTE
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- FAA report
- 20100625036529A
- Case key
- 76436
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 improper landing flare that resulted in a hard 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 pilot had not flown for six months prior to the accident flight so he decided to remain in the airport traffic pattern where he performed six approaches. He continued to perform approaches until he was confident that he could remain on the runway centerline in preparation for his first landing attempt. During a landing on runway 18, the airplane airspeed decreased "more quickly" than the pilot expected, which resulted in a hard landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage, including deformation to the fuselage.
Factual narrative
The pilot had not flown for six months prior to the accident flight so he decided to remain in the airport traffic pattern where he performed six approaches. He continued to perform approaches until he was "confident" that he could remain on the runway centerline in preparation for his first landing attempt. During a landing on runway 18 (2,450 feet by 20 feet, asphalt), the airplane airspeed decreased "more quickly" than expected, which resulted in a hard landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage which included deformation to the fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5609N
- Reported as
- Air Creation GTE
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T99400
- Airframe hours
- 344
- Engine
- Rotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pilot
- Registered owner
- Pilot
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 7, 2009
- Departed
- 79C · Neenah, WI
- Destination
- 79C · Neenah, WI
- Airport
- 79C · Brennand Airport, runway 18, 2,450 × 20 ft, asphalt
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
- 64
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 104 total · 33 in this make and model · 49 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- ATW, 6 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 12, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 542 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.