- Date
- October 18, 2012, 11:40 local (15:40 UTC)
- Place
- Plymouth, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N555HTDaniels Alan L Kitfox Series 7
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear collapse
- 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
- 20121018023379A
- Case key
- 85509
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 and subsequent inadequate 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
The pilot reported that during the final approach he increased the airplane’s airspeed from 65 to 70 mph to compensate for light windshear. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced twice, and the pilot increased engine power slightly to allow the airplane to settle on the main landing gear. After it settled, the nose landing gear collapsed, substantially damaging the firewall. The airplane came to rest upright on the runway. The pilot surmised that the second bounce must have separated the nose landing gear. A witness to the accident, who was a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, stated that the nose landing gear touched down first, followed by bounces with two or three more nosegear touchdowns, before the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest. The recorded wind at the airport about the time of the accident indicated a left crosswind at 8 knots.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during final approach, he increased airspeed from 65 to 70 mph to compensate for light windshear. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced twice and he increased engine power slightly to allow the airplane to settle on the main landing gear. After it settled, the nosewheel collapsed substantially damaging the firewall. The airplane then came to rest upright on the runway. The pilot surmised that the second bounce must have separated the nosewheel. A witness to the accident, who was also a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, stated that the nosegear touched down first, followed by bounces with two or three more nosegear touchdowns, before the nosewheel collapsed and the airplane came to rest. The recorded wind at the airport about the time of the accident was a left crosswind at 8 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N555HT
- Reported as
- Daniels Alan L Kitfox Series 7
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- S60111-076
- Airframe hours
- 790
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Shannon Kevin J
- Registered owner
- Shannon Kevin J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · September 26, 2012 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- PYM · Plymouth, MA
- Destination
- PYM · Plymouth, MA
- Airport
- PYM · Plymouth Municipal Airport, runway 24, 4,350 × 75 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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 265 total · 6 in this make and model · 265 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- PYM
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 4, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.6 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 N555HT · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.