- Date
- July 13, 2012, 15:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Sanford, ME
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N602PSCzech Sport Piper Sport
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120713015189A
- Case key
- 84353
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 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
According to the student pilot, his first two attempts to land resulted in bounced landings and he performed a go-around each time. On the third landing attempt, the airplane approached the runway at a shallower angle, bounced, and nose landing gear struck the ground, which caused it to collapse. A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the engine firewall. The investigation discovered no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot, his first two attempts to land resulted in bounced landings, and he performed a go-around each time. On the third landing attempt, the airplane approached the runway at a “shallower angle,” bounced, and impacted the nose landing gear which caused it to collapse. A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the engine firewall. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N602PS
- Reported as
- Czech Sport Piper Sport
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- P1001006
- Airframe hours
- 811
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Beverly Flight Center
- Registered owner
- Nordeide Arne
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 25, 2012 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- KBVY · Beverly, MA
- Destination
- KSFM · Sanford, ME
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- KSFM · Sanford Regional Airport, runway 25, 6,300 × 150 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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- July 12, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 48 total · 43 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KDAW, 11 nm away
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 31, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.1 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.