- Date
- July 23, 2014, 14:12 local (18:12 UTC)
- Place
- Lawrenceville, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4399Jannakos Gregory P Zodiac 601 HDS
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 2, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20140723014899A
- Case key
- 89728
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 inadequate 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
According to the pilot, during landing, the nose landing gear collapsed, separated, and the airplane skidded down the runway prior to coming to rest. The pilot further reported that the landing attitude was level and all three landing gear touched down about the same time. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the nose landing gear and the firewall sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, during landing, the nose landing gear collapsed, separated, and the airplane skidded down the runway prior to coming to rest. The pilot further reported that the landing attitude was level and all three landing gear touched down about the same time. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the nose landing gear and the firewall sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4399
- Reported as
- Jannakos Gregory P Zodiac 601 HDS
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6-4211
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 185
- Engine
- General Motors 2700, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 14, 2014 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- LZU · Lawrenceville, GA
- Destination
- LZU · Lawrenceville, GA
- Airport
- LZU · Gwinnett County Airport, runway 25, 6,000 × 100 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
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 25, 2014
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 490 total · 185 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KLZU
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 14, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.3 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.