CEN17LA004

The student pilot stated that, while on final approach for landing, the airplane encountered turbulence on final approach that "pushed the plane down." The airplane landed short of the runway, the student egressed, and the airplane subsequently caught fire and was destroyed. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems before the accident; there were no witnesses. Visual examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuel/gascolator line had ruptured during impact, resulting in the postimpact fire. The local weather at the time of the accident included wind from 130° at 3 knots, and the smoke was observed billowing straight up from the fire; indicating calm to light wind at the time of the accident. It is likely that the student pilot failed to maintain a proper approach path during the landing approach, which resulted in the airplane impacting terrain short of the runway.

On October 2, 2016, about 1557 central daylight time, a Volaircraft 10A airplane, N6666D, registered to the student pilot, was destroyed by post impact fire after it landed short of runway 13 at the Mandan Municipal Airport (Y19), Mandan, North Dakota. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was being conducted under the provisions of Federal Code of Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight had originated from Y19. According to local respondent authorities, the airplane landed short of the runway and skidded to a stop beside the paved runway surface. After the student pilot exited uninjured, the airplane caught fire and was destroyed. The student pilot did not report any mechanical problems prior to the event and there were no witnesses. On NTSB Form 6120, the student pilot stated that he encountered turbulence on final approach and pushed the airplane downward. He stated that a fuel line ruptured upon impact and sparks ignited, resulting in a post-impact fire. There were three distinct ground impressions in a grassy area just prior to the paved runway threshold. The impressions correlated with the fixed landing gear of the aircraft.Visual inspection of the wreckage by an FAA inspector revealed that the fuel/gascolator line had ruptured during the impact. The reported local weather at the time of the accident was: Wind 130 at 3 knots, 10 miles visibility, temperature 22 C, dew point 13 C, altimeter 29.92. Soon after the accident when the aircraft was still on fire, a photo was taken of the accident scene by first responders. The photo shows billowing smoke going straight up from the fire. the photo is included in the public docket for this case file. According to the FAA and the pilot's submitted NTSB Form 6120, the student pilot reported a total of 20 hours of total flight time, all of which were flown in the accident airplane.