- Date
- October 2, 2014, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Toccoa, GA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6044WPiper PA-28-140
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 12, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 90200
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 private pilot's failure to maintain proper altitude and the flight instructor's failure to provide correction action, which resulted in a collision with terrain during landing.
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
The flight instructor was conducting a biennial flight review for the private pilot\owner of the airplane. The private pilot departed from the 5,008-foot-long runway, performed a touch-and-go landing without incident, and entered the traffic pattern for a simulated short-field landing. While on short final, the airplane struck a berm that was located just prior to runway and sustained substantial damage to the landing gear and right wing. The flight instructor stated that he realized that the airplane was low and expected the private pilot to add engine power; however, he did not attempt to manipulate the flight controls or provide any verbal instructions. The private pilot stated that he also realized that the airplane was low, but did not react prior to contact with the ground. Both pilots indicated that they did not experience any preaccident malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The private pilot reported about 600 hours of total flight experience, which included about 475 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. The flight instructor reported about 3,430 hours of total flight experience, which included about 200 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor was conducting a biennial flight review for the private pilot\owner of the airplane. The private pilot departed from the 5,008-foot-long runway, performed a touch-and-go landing without incident, and entered the traffic pattern for a simulated short-field landing. While on short final, the airplane struck a berm that was located just prior to runway and sustained substantial damage to the landing gear and right wing. The flight instructor stated that he realized that the airplane was low and expected the private pilot to add engine power; however, he did not attempt to manipulate the flight controls or provide any verbal instructions. The private pilot stated that he also realized that the airplane was low, but did not react prior to contact with the ground. Both pilots indicated that they did not experience any preaccident malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The private pilot reported about 600 hours of total flight experience, which included about 475 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. The flight instructor reported about 3,430 hours of total flight experience, which included about 200 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6044W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-20044
- Built
- 1964
- Airframe hours
- 4,240
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2014
- Departed
- TOC · Toccoa, GA
- Destination
- TOC · Toccoa, GA
- Airport
- TOC · Toccoa Rg Letourneau Field, runway 20, 5,008 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 51
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2014
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 3,427 total · 200 in this make and model · 3,304 as pilot in command
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 592 total · 475 in this make and model · 518 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- TOC
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 16, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.2 MB in all.