- Date
- December 27, 2014, 19:35 local (Dec 28, 2014, 00:35 UTC)
- Place
- Liberty, NC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N177JDCessna 310N
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report June 9, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- FAA report
- 20141227022249A
- Case key
- 90547
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 and collapse of the left main landing gear.
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 while landing at night in visual meteorological conditions, the airplane landed hard and the left main landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. In an interview with the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot stated he was accustomed to approaches with instrument and visual glidepath guidance. According to the airport/facilities directory entry for the accident airport, a note advised pilots that the size, spacing, and number of runway edge and end lights were not standard.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that while landing at night in visual meteorological conditions, the airplane landed hard and the left main landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. In an interview with the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot stated he was accustomed to approaches with instrument and visual glidepath guidance. According to the airport/facilities directory entry for the accident airport, a note advised pilots that the size, spacing, and number of runway edge and end lights were not standard.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N177JD
- Reported as
- Cessna 310N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310N-0121
- Built
- 1968
- Airframe hours
- 4,430
- Engines
- Cont Motor I0-470 SERIES, 260 horsepower, reciprocatingCont Motor I0-470 SERIES, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bullock James R Jr
- Registered owner
- Bullock James R Jr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 15, 2014
- Departed
- F45 · West Palm Beach, FL
- Destination
- 2A5 · Liberty, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 2A5 · Causey, runway 02, 3,800 × 40 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
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 25,000 total · 15,000 in this make and model · 23,800 as pilot in command · 102 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KBUY, 11 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 3, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 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.