- Date
- May 20, 2023, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ray, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N586SBPiper PA-28-235
- 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
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230520014959A
- Case key
- 192280
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 flight instructor’s failure to maintain airplane control during simulated engine-out procedures. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s decision to land with a tailwind.
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 flight instructor demonstrated a simulated engine failure to his student while the airplane was on the crosswind leg in the traffic pattern. He reported that he attempted to land on the opposite runway from which they departed. He reported that while maneuvering to final approach the airplane was pushed to the left of the runway over a grassy area by a “sudden downward draft.” The flight instructor stated that he thought the airplane encountered “windshear coming down between the trees.” He landed the airplane in the wet grass between the taxiway and the runway, which resulted in a propeller strike. Post-accident examination revealed substantial damage to the engine mount. The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor reported that the wind at the time of the accident was 300° at 10 knots. The landing was made toward runway 10 which resulted in a 9-knot tailwind.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N586SB
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-10781
- Built
- 1966
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-540 SERIES, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Kareon Consulting LLC
- Registered owner
- Kareon Consulting LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KDET · Detroit, MI
- Destination
- 57D · Ray, MI
- Airport
- 57D · Ray Community, runway 010, 2,495 × 60 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B, Auto-pilot
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 1,812 total · 43 in this make and model · 1,567 as pilot in command
- Role
- Student pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 0 total · 0 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KMTC, 8 nm away
- METAR
- KMTC 201556Z 30010KT 10SM BKN026 BKN035 14/07 A2998 RMK AO2A SLP157 T01370070
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 31, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 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.