- Date
- March 5, 2008, 10:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- San Antonio, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N41517Piper PA-28R-200
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- San Antonio, Texas
- Case key
- 67619
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 failure to maintain airspeed during the landing flare which resulted in a hard landing.
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 private pilot was asked to perform a power-off 180 degree accuracy landing as part of the practical test for a commercial pilot certification. The first attempt was terminated with a go-around. The second approach appeared normal according to the designated pilot examiner onboard, until approximately five seconds before touchdown. At that point the airplane rate of descent increased to approximately 1000 feet per minute and the airspeed slowed below 75 miles per hour and the airplane "dropped onto the runway." Neither the pilot nor examiner noticed any apparent damage at that time and elected to continue the flight. Upon completion of the flight the airplane was examined by maintenance for a hard landing and substantial damage was confirmed to both wings at the landing gear assembly mounts.
Factual narrative
The private pilot was asked to perform a power off 180 degree accuracy landing as part of the practical test for a commercial pilot certification. The first attempt was terminated with a go-around. The second approach appeared normal according to the designated pilot examiner onboard, until approximately five seconds before touchdown. At that point the airplane rate of decent increased to approximately 1000 feet per minute and the airspeed slowed below 75 miles per hour and the airplane "dropped onto the runway." Neither the pilot nor examiner noticed any apparent damage at that time and elected to continue the flight. Upon completion of the flight the airplane was examined by maintenance for a hard landing and substantial damage was confirmed to both wings at the landing gear assmbly mounts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41517
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7435194
- Airframe hours
- 9,019.6
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Wright Flyers Aviation Inc, doing business as Wright Flyers Holdings LLC
- Registered owner
- Wright Flyers Holdings LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 1, 2008
- Departed
- KSAT · San Antonio, TX
- Airport
- KSSF · Stinson Municipal Airport, runway 14, 4,128 × 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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 217 total · 11 in this make and model · 164 as pilot in command · 116 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KSSF