- Date
- April 21, 2009, 12:35 local (16:35 UTC)
- Place
- Chesapeake, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N476CTFlight Design Ctsw
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Richmond FSDO
- Case key
- 73717
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 improper recovery from a bounced 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 student pilot stated that he departed from runway 10 and remained in right closed traffic. He turned on final approach and felt that the airplane was a little high. He considered initiating a go-around, but elected to land further down the runway. As he flared the airplane, he felt an increase in wind. The airplane floated about 5 feet off the ground and the left wing came up as the airplane floated, then touched down on the runway. He considered another go-around, but decided against it because the airplane was too slow, and too far down the runway. The airplane began to porpoise "back up more sharply" touched down on the runway, and bounced into a nose-high attitude. The airplane collided with the runway in a nose-down attitude, collapsed the nose gear, and coming to rest in a nose-down attitude. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed structural damage to the fuselage tunnel. The student pilot stated that he did not experience any mechanical problems with the airplane before the accident.
Factual narrative
The student pilot stated he departed from runway 10 and remained in right closed traffic. He turned on final approach, and felt the airplane was a little high. He considered initiating a go-around, but elected to land further down the runway. As he flared the airplane, he felt an increase in wind. The airplane floated about 5 feet off the ground, the left wing came up as the airplane floated, and touched down on the runway. He considered another go-around, but decided against it because the airplane was to slow, and to far down the runway. The airplane began to porpoise "back up more sharply" touched down on the runway, and bounced into a nose high attitude. The airplane collided with the runway in a nose down attitude, collapsed the nose gear, and came to rest in a nose down attitude. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed structural damage to the fuselage tunnel. The student pilot stated he did not experience any mechanical problems with the airplane before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N476CT
- Reported as
- Flight Design Ctsw
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 07-07-03
- Airframe hours
- 144
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Chesapeake Aviation Services
- Registered owner
- Jam Air LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 20, 2009 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- PVG · Chesapeake, VA
- Destination
- PVG · Chesapeake, VA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- PVG · Hampton Roads Exec Airport, runway 10, 4,056 × 70 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 32 total · 32 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SFQ, 10 nm away
Other investigations on N476CT · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.