- Date
- November 6, 2009, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Xenia, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N93415Univar 415-C/D
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20091106053899A
- Case key
- 75573
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain the proper glide slope during final approach, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a tree.
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
The pilot and passenger departed for a local flight that was to remain in the airport traffic pattern of the departure airport. The pilot stated that he climbed to pattern altitude and flew a normal downwind leg for runway 25. When he turned onto the final leg of the approach, the pilot was blinded by the sun and recognized that he was too low. He attempted a climb and felt the wing hit a tree about 100 feet from the runway approach end. He reentered the traffic pattern and landed on runway 25 without further incident. Damage to the airplane included a 2-3 inch dent in the left wing leading edge, with damage to the underlying ribs. The pilot and passenger were uninjured.
Factual narrative
The pilot and passenger departed for a local flight that was to remain in the airport traffic pattern of the departure airport. The pilot stated that he climbed to pattern altitude and flew a normal downwind leg for runway 25. The pilot stated that when he turned onto the final leg of the approach, he was blinded by the sun and recognized that he was too low. He attempted a climb and felt the wing hit something, which was a tree about 100 feet from the runway approach end. He reentered the traffic pattern and landed on runway 25 without further incident. Damage to the airplane included a 2-3 inch dent in the left wing leading edge with damage to the underlying ribs. The pilot and passenger were uninjured. The damage was discovered by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector during an inspection of the repair facility where the airplane was undergoing repair.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N93415
- Reported as
- Univar 415-C/D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 738
- Airframe hours
- 1,649
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12-F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pilot
- Registered owner
- Passenger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 28, 2009
- Departed
- I19 · Xenia, MI
- Destination
- I19 · Xenia, MI
- Airport
- I19 · Greene County-Lewis A. Jackson, runway 25, 4,500 × 75 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
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- August 19, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 128 total · 3 in this make and model · 96 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- FFO, 8 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 26, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.4 MB 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.
Other investigations on N93415 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.