- Date
- March 8, 2011, 12:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Pittstown, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N470QFlight Design Ctsw
- 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
- Case key
- 78587
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 flare and the certified flight instructor's inadequate remedial action, which resulted 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 certified flight instructor (CFI), the purpose of the flight was for the student pilot to practice landings. As the student began to flare for landing, the airspeed decreased and the airplane stalled about 3 to 5 feet above the ground. The airplane impacted the runway hard on the right main landing gear and bounced. The student pilot applied full engine power and the airplane veered off the right side of the runway, traveled up an embankment, and the left wing impacted the ground. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The CFI reported no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
According to the flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was to practice landings. As the student pilot began to flare for landing, the airspeed decreased and the airplane "stall[ed] about 3 to 5 feet above the ground," impacted the runway "hard" on the right main landing gear, and bounced. The student pilot applied full power, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway, traveled up an embankment, and the left wing impacted the ground. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing tip and fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N470Q
- Reported as
- Flight Design Ctsw
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 07-07-02
- Airframe hours
- 184
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Dominick Bonanno
- Registered owner
- Dominick Bonanno
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 11, 2011
- Departed
- N40 · Pittstown, NJ
- Destination
- N40 · Pittstown, NJ
- Airport
- N40 · Aky Manor Airport, runway 07, 2,900 × 50 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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,798 total · 38 in this make and model · 6,662 as pilot in command · 66 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 176 total · 176 in this make and model · 100 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.51 inHg
- Observed at
- SMQ, 15 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 18, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 MB in all.