DEN05CA135

NTSB accident investigation · Aviat A-1B · Sheridan, WY · September 7, 2005

Accident · Minor injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
September 7, 2005, 10:50 local (16:50 UTC)
Place
Sheridan, WY
Injuries
1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N477DKAviat A-1B
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report December 20, 2005
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
CPR FSDO
FAA report
20050907019999A
Case key
62418

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the aborted landing. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall.

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.

Loss of control - in flightLanding - aborted
Aircraft control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Airspeed - not maintainedPilot in commandFactor
Stall - inadvertentPilot in commandFactor
In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled
Terrain condition - ground

Analysis

During a touch and go, the pilot intentionally landed long down the runway in order to facilitate a shorter taxi after landing. The pilot lost directional control of the airplane and attempted "to fly out of it." The pilot increased the throttle and "pulled the airplane up out of ground effect." The airplane stalled approximately 30 feet agl, descended, and impacted terrain in a nose low attitude. At the time of the accident, the pilot estimated the wind from 330 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot noted no mechanical anomalies with the airplane during the accident flight.

Factual narrative

On September 7, 2005, approximately 1050 mountain daylight time, an Aviat A-1B single-engine airplane, N477DK, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain following a loss of control during an attempted go-around at the Sheridan County Airport (SHR), Sheridan, Wyoming. The private pilot, sole occupant and operator of the airplane, sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight originated at SHR approximately 0930.

According to the pilot, he departed SHR and performed slow flight maneuvers near SHR prior to executing four touch and go landings on runway 32. During the fourth touch and go landing, the pilot intentionally landed long down the runway in order to facilitate a shorter taxi after landing. The pilot lost directional control of the airplane and attempted "to fly out of it." The pilot increased the throttle and "pulled the airplane up out of ground effect." The airplane stalled approximately 30 feet agl, descended, and impacted terrain in a nose low attitude. At the time of the accident, the pilot estimated the wind to be from 330 degrees at 5 knots.

The pilot reported that both wings, the empennage, and nose of the airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot noted no mechanical anomalies with the airplane during the accident flight. At the time of the accident, the pilot had accumulated approximately 15 hours in the accident airplane.

Aircraft

Registration
N477DK
Reported as
Aviat A-1B
Category
Airplane
Serial number
2160
Airframe hours
188
Engine
Lycoming 0-360-AIP, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
PNA Holdings LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · February 1, 2005 · 77 hours before
Departed
SHR · Sheridan, WY
Destination
SHR · Sheridan, WY
Airport
SHR · Sheridan County airport, runway 32, 8,300 × 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
54
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Seat
Left
Flight hours
1,813 total · 16 in this make and model · 1,709 as pilot in command · 52 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Variable at 5 knots, gusting 5
Visibility
20 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
81 °F, dew point 43 °F
Altimeter
30.06 inHg

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.