- Date
- March 12, 2011, 13:05 local (18:05 UTC)
- Place
- Oxford, CT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2838DPiper PA-28-161
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110312003409A
- Case key
- 78539
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 inadequate landing flare and the certified flight instructor's inadequate 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
According to the student pilot, he was practicing crosswind landings with his certified flight instructor (CFI) when they planned to perform a full stop landing on runway 36. The airplane touched down hard in a level attitude and the CFI moved his hand to the throttle to add engine power but was too late. After impacting the runway, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane incurred substantial damage to the firewall. After reviewing a security video of the accident, the airport manager reported that the airplane did not flare prior to landing. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The reported wind conditions at an the airport around the time of the accident were variable from 240 degrees to 310 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 17 knots.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot, he was practicing crosswind landings with his flight instructor when they planned to perform a full stop landing on runway 36. Both pilots stated that they maintained 70 knots on final approach, and the airplane landed "flat." The flight instructor stated that he moved his hand to the throttle to add power but it was too late. After impacting the runway, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane incurred substantial damage to the firewall. After reviewing a security video of the accident, the airport manager reported that the airplane did not flare prior to landing. During a subsequent examination of the wreckage, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector found no anomalies of the airplane. The winds reported at an the airport around the time of the accident were variable from 240 degrees to 310 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 17 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2838D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7916463
- Airframe hours
- 13,999
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 13, 2011
- Departed
- OXC · Oxford, CT
- Destination
- OXC · Oxford, CT
- Airport
- OXC · Waterbury-Oxford Airport, runway 36, 5,800 × 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 4,550 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 55 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 87 total · 79 in this make and model · 17 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.80 inHg
- Observed at
- OXC
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 N2838D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.