- Date
- August 25, 2009, 17:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Savannah, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N47611Piper PA-34
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/ FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090825048599A
- Case key
- 74603
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 failure to maintain pitch control during landing and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, resulting in a hard landing.
Findings · 3
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 returning to the airport for landing after practicing maneuvers. The student pilot was flying the airplane and after a normal approach, just prior to touchdown on the runway, he abruptly pulled back on the control yoke. The airplane climbed approximately 10 feet as the flight instructor assumed control and pushed the control yoke forward. The airplane subsequently landed hard, which resulted in damage to the nose gear, the right engine propeller, and the nose cone structure at the base of the windshield. The flight instructor further stated that he did not experience any flight control malfunctions and weather was not a factor during the accident.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor and student pilot were returning to the airport for landing after practicing maneuvers. According to the flight instructor, the airplane experienced a partial loss of communication radios en route and was cleared to land using light signals. The student pilot was flying the airplane and after a normal approach, just prior to touchdown on the runway, he abruptly pulled back on the control yoke. The airplane climbed approximately 10 feet as the flight instructor assumed control and pushed the control yoke forward. The airplane subsequently landed hard, which resulted in damage to the nose gear, the right engine propeller, and the nose cone structure at the base of the windshield. The flight instructor further stated that he did not experience any flight control malfunctions and weather was not a factor during the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N47611
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34 (200T)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7770418
- Airframe hours
- 8,228
- Engines
- Teledyne Continental TSIO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocatingTeledyne Continental LTSIO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Coastal Empire Flight Training LLC
- Registered owner
- Marc Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 10, 2009 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- SAV · Savannah, GA
- Destination
- SAV · Savannah, GA
- Airport
- SAV · Savannah/ Hilton Head Airport, runway 19, 7,002 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 14, 2008
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 477 total · 76 in this make and model · 426 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 19, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,134 total · 2 in this make and model · 81 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- SAV
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 20, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.