- Date
- July 17, 2015, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Alexandria, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2765HErcoupe 415-C
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Case key
- 91838
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/attain adequate airspeed and attitude during landing that resulted in a hard landing. Contributing was the pilot's diverted attention to air traffic and the reduction of perceptible audio cues due to noise attenuating headsets.
Findings · 4
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 non-instrument rated private pilot diverted to the alternate airport so as to avoid flight into instrument meteorological conditions along the intended route of flight path to a destination airport. While landing at the alternate airport, the airplane bounced and departed off the side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage that included the engine firewall and right wing. The pilot stated that he reduced engine power and airspeed so as to increase separation with a preceding aircraft that was also landing, which resulted in "too much" airspeed being reduced and the bounced landing. The pilot stated that he was using active noise reduction headsets for the first time, which "greatly" reduced engine noise and "muted" audio input so as to not receive the "normal" audio indications that his senses were accustomed to on prior flights. The accident was not reported by the pilot and was discovered by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector during routine surveillance at the airport.
Factual narrative
The non-instrument rated private pilot diverted to the alternate airport so as to avoid flight into instrument meteorological conditions along the intended route of flight path to a destination airport. While landing at the alternate airport, the airplane bounced and departed off the side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage that included the engine firewall and right wing. The pilot stated that he reduced engine power and airspeed so as to increase separation with a preceding aircraft that was also landing, which resulted in "too much" airspeed being reduced and the bounced landing. The pilot stated that he was using active noise reduction headsets for the first time, which "greatly" reduced engine noise and "muted" audio input so as to not receive the "normal" audio indications that his senses were accustomed to on prior flights. The accident was not reported by the pilot and was discovered by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector during routine surveillance at the airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2765H
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415-C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3390
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 12,150
- Engine
- Continental Motors C-85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pilot
- Registered owner
- Pilot
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 18, 2014
- Departed
- HAO · Hamilton, OH
- Destination
- SBM · Sheboygan, WI
- Airport
- I99 · Alexandria Airport, runway 27, 2,591 × 60 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot, Unknown
- Last flight review
- September 25, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 221 total · 21 in this make and model · 114 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- AID, 7 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 5, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 405 KB in all.