- Date
- March 18, 2012, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- New Smyrna, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N15764Piper PA-28R-200
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 11, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA / FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120318004019A
- Case key
- 83184
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 improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's inadequate remedial action.
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
During a flight to prepare for his initial flight instructor check ride, the commercial pilot performed a 180-degree power-off approach and landing. During the landing, he flared the airplane about 10 feet above the runway. The airplane dropped and landed hard. After taking off again, the pilot attempted to raise the landing gear, but it would not retract completely, so he put the landing gear back down, performed another 180-degree power-off approach, landed, and then taxied to the ramp. After parking, he and the flight instructor who was sitting in the left seat noticed that they could not open the door to exit the airplane because the door handle was broken. After having someone open the door from the outside so that they could exit the airplane, they noticed that the airplane's right wing had been damaged during the hard landing. Postaccident examination revealed that the wing was substantially damaged. During a postaccident interview with the flight instructor, he stated that, during the flight, the commercial pilot was the "full manipulator of the controls" and that "I did not do anything."
Factual narrative
During a flight to prepare for his initial flight instructor check ride, the commercial pilot performed a 180 degree power-off approach and landing. During the landing, he flared the airplane about 10 feet above the runway. The airplane dropped and landed hard. After taking off again, he attempted to raise the landing gear but it would not retract completely, so he put the landing gear back down, performed the maneuver one more time, and then taxied to the ramp. After parking, he and the flight instructor who was sitting in the left seat noticed that they could not open the door to exit the airplane as the door handle was broken. After having someone open the door from the outside so they could exit the airplane, they noticed that the airplane's right wing had been damaged during the hard landing. Post accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the wing was substantially damaged. During a post accident interview with the flight instructor, he stated that during the flight the commercial pilot was the "full manipulator of the controls" and that "I did not do anything".
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15764
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7335089
- Airframe hours
- 7,837
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Flight Training Express
- Registered owner
- Leyva Jose Luis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 19, 2011
- Departed
- X50 · New Smyrna, FL
- Destination
- X50 · New Smyrna, FL
- Airport
- X50 · Massey Ranch Airpark, runway 18, 3,852 × 60 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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 6, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 31,800 total · 1,000 in this make and model
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 5, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 310 total · 10 in this make and model · 210 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EVB, 5 nm away
Docket · 10
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 16, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11.9 MB in all.
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 N15764 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.