- Date
- February 3, 2000, 07:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Farmington, NM
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8240UBeech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000203000749A
- Case key
- 48592
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 student pilot's excessive remedial action (banking to realign the airplane with the runway). Factors were the student pilot flaring the airplane prematurely and failing to maintain directional control, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the student.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
To prepare the student pilot for his first solo flight, the flight instructor retarded the throttle on downwind to simulate a power failure. The instructor said the student flared the airplane high over the runway and added power to adjust the sink rate and banked left 'to return to the centerline.' The airplane landed hard on the left main gear and bounced. The flight instructor took control, aborted the landing, went around and landed uneventfully. Postaccident inspection revealed wingtip, aileron, and rear spar damage.
Factual narrative
On February 3, 2000, approximately 0745 mountain standard time, a Beech A36, N8240U, registered to and operated by San Juan Pilot Training, Inc., was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during landing at Four Corners Regional Airport, Farmington, New Mexico. There were no injuries to the commercial certificated flight instructor and student pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the instructional flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Farmington at 0730.
To prepare the student pilot for his first solo flight, the flight instructor retarded the throttle on downwind to simulate a power failure. The instructor said the student flared the airplane high over the runway and added power to adjust the sink rate and banked left "to return to the centerline." The airplane landed hard on the left main gear and bounced. The flight instructor took control, aborted the landing, went around and landed uneventfully. Postaccident inspection revealed wingtip, aileron, and rear spar damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8240U
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E2665
- Airframe hours
- 11,632
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-B, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- San Juan Pilot Training, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 30, 2000 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- FMN
- Airport
- FMN · Four Corners Regional, runway 7, 6,704 × 100 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
- 31
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 465 total · 55 in this make and model · 400 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 55 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FMN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8240U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.