- Date
- August 22, 2012, 12:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Burlington, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N331DPBeech 35-C33
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120822021969A
- Case key
- 84999
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 landing flare, which resulted in a hard 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
The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was for him to demonstrate to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, who was on the ground witnessing the flight, his ability to land an airplane. On the first landing, the airplane landed hard, and the right main landing gear tire deflated. The airplane veered off the right side of the runway and came to rest, damaging the right wing spar and fuselage. The pilot reported there was no preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction that caused the hard landing.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was for him to demonstrate his ability to land an airplane to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, who was on the ground witnessing the flight. On the first landing, the airplane was landed hard causing the right main landing gear tire to deflate. The airplane veered off the right side of the runway and came to rest near airport facility equipment. The pilot further reported there was no preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction that caused the hard landing. Damage to the airplane was the right wing spar, left wing skin, and wrinkle in the fuselage skin above the right wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N331DP
- Reported as
- Beech 35-C33
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CD-954
- Airframe hours
- 6,250
- Engine
- Cont Motor I0-470-K, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mac Air Inc
- Registered owner
- Mac Air Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 29, 2011
- Departed
- BUY · Burlington, NC
- Destination
- BUY · Burlington, NC
- Airport
- BUY · Burlington-Alamance Regional, runway 06, 4,999 × 99 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 77
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 20, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 726 total · 221 in this make and model · 726 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- BUY
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 1, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 933 KB 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.