- Date
- October 17, 2010, 17:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Los Lunas, NM
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N353CBBorne Charles A III RV-4
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20101017050199A
- Case key
- 77670
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 flare, which resulted in a hard landing and loss of directional control.
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 reported that during the landing the airplane bounced. In response, he added engine power, leveled the airplane, and attempted to flare to soften the impact upon touchdown. During the flare, the elevator lost effectiveness sooner than he anticipated and the airplane touched down on the runway surface hard. The airplane veered off to the right side of the runway, impacted a drainage ditch, and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who interviewed the pilot, the pilot was performing a landing to runway 18 (4,340 feet by 37 feet, asphalt) when the accident occurred. The pilot reported that during the landing the airplane bounced. He was able to add power, level off, and during the flare the elevator lost authority sooner than anticipated and the airplane impacted hard a second time. The airplane veered off to the right side of the runway, impacted a drainage ditch, and came to rest inverted. The forward spar on the right wing was bent and the vertical stabilizer was crushed down. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N353CB
- Reported as
- Borne Charles A III RV-4
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Engine
- Ama/Expr UNKNOWN ENG, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- Unknown, NM
- Destination
- KE98 · Los Lunas, NM
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- KE98 · Mid Valley Airpark, runway 18, 4,340 × 37 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
- 57
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- October 18, 2009
- Flight hours
- 700 total · 80 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KE80, 8 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 18, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 13 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.