- Date
- July 26, 2011, 07:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1277KAero SP Z O O AT-4 LSA
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110726016309A
- Case key
- 81253
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 failure to maintain proper approach speed and his inadequate recovery from a bounced 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 student pilot was attempting to land when the airplane's descent rate increased, resulting in a hard landing and a bounce. The airplane nosed over prior to the touchdown, allowing the propeller to strike the runway and causing the nose landing gear to buckle and collapse before the airplane skidded to a stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. A postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies with the airplane that would have prevented normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot was attempting to land when the airplane's descent rate increased resulting in a hard landing and a bounce. The airplane nosed over prior to the touchdown allowing the propeller to strike the runway and buckled and collapsed the nose landing gear. The airplane skidded to a stop. Substantial damage was sustained to the firewall. A postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1277K
- Reported as
- Aero SP Z O O AT-4 LSA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AT4-015
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Skyraider Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Skyraider Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Departed
- KEIK · Erie, CO
- Destination
- KEIK · Erie, CO
- Airport
- KFLY · Meadow Lake, runway 33, 6,000 × 60 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 15 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KFLY
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 19, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 119 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.