- Date
- September 30, 2025, 09:03 local (14:03 UTC)
- Place
- Watertown, WI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N814Cirrus SR20
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 15, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Milwaukee FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250930016169A
- Case key
- 201758
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 control of the airplane following the student pilot’s bounced landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action which resulted in diminished airplane performance during the go-around.
Findings · 5
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 and student pilot were conducting a primary instruction flight. The flight instructor reported that the surface wind was calm as they approached the airport to land. The flight instructor stated that the student pilot allowed the airplane to be “slightly high and fast” while on short final approach, but the airplane then joined a normal descent path as it continued toward the runway. The flight instructor estimated that the airplane was 5-10 knots faster than a normal landing speed as it flew over the runway identification numbers. At that point, the flight instructor told the student to reduce engine power to idle, transition his sight picture down the runway, and allow the airplane to decelerate during the landing flare. The airplane bounced upon touchdown, ballooned, descended, and then bounced a second time before the flight instructor took control of the airplane from the student pilot. The flight instructor then increased engine power, increased right rudder input, and pitched for a level attitude to increase airspeed for a go-around. The airplane did not accelerate and bounced for a third time, this time with the stall warning horn audible. The flight instructor reduced the wing flaps from 100% to 50% to gain additional airspeed while flying in ground effect, but she noted that the airplane had ineffective roll and yaw control. She reduced engine power to idle as the airplane drifted left, struck a runway edge light, and departed off the left side of the runway. The airplane then entered an area of high vegetation where it spun around to a stop. The airplane’s aft fuselage sustained substantial damage during the accident. The flight instructor did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N814
- Reported as
- Cirrus SR20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1281
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 2,792.4
- Engine
- Continental IO-360-ES, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Wisconsin Aviation - Four Lakes Inc., doing business as Wisconsin Aviation
- Registered owner
- Wisconsin Aviation - Four Lakes Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 22, 2025 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- RYV · Watertown, WI
- Destination
- RYV · Watertown, WI
- Airport
- RYV · Watertown Municipal Airport, runway 23, 4,429 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Airframe parachute, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Electronic multifunction display
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 11, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 599 total · 9 in this make and model · 436 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 10 total · 6 in this make and model · 6 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- KRYV
- METAR
- METAR KRYV 301355Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 18/18 A3025 RMK AO2 T01800178
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 15, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.6 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.