- Date
- July 29, 2022, 13:02 local (18:02 UTC)
- Place
- Evansville, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5200SICP Savannah S
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: 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
- Federal Aviation Administration, Indianapolis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220729013559A
- Case key
- 105690
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 improper landing flare in gusting winds, which resulted in a hard landing and the nose gear collapsing.
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 pilot reported that while on final approach for landing in gusting winds and about 5 ft. above the ground, the airplane “dropped” and experienced a hard landing that collapsed the nose landing gear. The airplane slid along the runway for 5 to 10 ft. and came to a stop on the runway center line. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. 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 36 with winds 360o at 10 knots with gusts to 15 knots. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had initiated a go-around.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5200S
- Reported as
- ICP Savannah S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-10-54-0220
- Built
- 2013
- Airframe hours
- 761
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS 2, 100 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 19, 2021
- Departed
- CMI · Champaign/Urbana, IL
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- EVV · Evansville Regional Airport, runway 36, 6,286 × 150 ft
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- January 13, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 217 total · 157 in this make and model · 183 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Observed at
- EVV
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 26, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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.