- Date
- June 27, 2022, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- West Lafayette, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N458SAMagnaghi Aeronautica SKY Arrow LSA
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20220627011349A
- Case key
- 105381
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 airspeed while landing in gusting winds, which resulted in a hard landing and a runway excursion.
Findings · 3
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 approach, the airplane encountered wind gusts. During the landing as the pilot reduced power and began the landing flare, the airplane continued to descend. The pilot realized there was a problem but did not have time to initiate a go around. The airplane struck the ground hard and went off the side of the runway coming to a stop in the grass. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the landing gear box. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the airplane was landing on runway 28 with winds 310o at 12 knots with gusts to 20 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N458SA
- Reported as
- Magnaghi Aeronautica SKY Arrow LSA (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LSA 023
- Built
- 2013
- Airframe hours
- 1,191
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS2, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Philly Sport Pilot LLC
- Registered owner
- Philly Sport Pilot LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 3, 2022 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- LAF · Lafayette, IN
- Destination
- LAF · Lafayette, IN
- Airport
- LAF · Purdue University, runway 28, 6,600 × 150 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
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Flight hours
- 40 total · 40 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 24 °F, dew point 8 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.24 inHg
- Observed at
- LAF
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 28, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.2 MB 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.