- Date
- January 19, 2011, 17:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pekin, IL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5658WPiper PA-28-180
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA - Springfield FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110119004869A
- Case key
- 78299
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 student pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the landing approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
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 student pilot said that he was a performing takeoffs and landings on his first solo flight when the accident occurred. He stated that he had made two or three uneventful landings prior to the accident. He said that, while floating down the runway, he was holding the airplane off the ground waiting for it to settle. He said that he did not pay sufficient attention to the airplane’s airspeed and it stalled about 10 to 15 feet above the runway. The airplane's nose dropped and the airplane impacted the ground nose first and skidded to a stop. He stated that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, including buckling of the fuselage and bending of both wing spars.
Factual narrative
During a telephone conversation, the student pilot said that he was a performing takeoffs and landings on his first solo flight when the accident occurred. He stated that he had made two or three uneventful landings prior to the accident. He said that while floating down the runway on the final landing, he was holding the airplane off the ground waiting for it to settle. He said that he did not pay the attention that he should have to the airplane’s airspeed and it stalled about 10 to 15 feet above the runway. The airplane's nose dropped and the airplane impacted the ground nose first and skidded to a stop. He stated that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. The airplane suffered substantial damage including buckling of the fuselage and bending of both wing spars.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5658W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-825
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- C15 · Pekin, IL
- Destination
- C15 · Pekin, IL
- Airport
- C15 · Pekin Municipal Airport, runway 27, 5,000 × 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
- 36
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13 total · 13 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 28, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 44 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.