- Date
- April 15, 2017, 10:50 local (14:50 UTC)
- Place
- Kingsland, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N340TPAeropro CZ Eurofox LSA
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 7, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20170415006399A
- Case key
- 95021
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 subsequent nose-over.
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 commercial pilot, who was also the owner of the experimental, light-sport airplane, stated that the airplane approached the grass strip with "all systems operating correctly" and that he performed a side slip to lose altitude and align the airplane with the field. The airplane descended "very quickly," and at touchdown, the nose landing gear dug in and collapsed, and the airplane then nosed over and came to rest inverted. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector witnessed the accident, and a video of the accident was posted on a local media website. The inspector's description and the landing shown in the video were consistent with the pilot's description of events. The airplane landed hard in a flat attitude, the nose landing gear collapsed immediately, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot, who was also the owner of the experimental light-sport airplane stated that the airplane approached the grass strip with "all systems operating correctly," he performed a side slip to lose altitude and align the airplane with the field. The airplane descended "very quickly," and at touchdown the nose landing gear dug in, collapsed, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector witnessed the accident, and a video of the accident was posted on a local media website. The inspector's description and the landing depicted in the video was consistent with the pilot's description of events. The airplane landed hard in a flat attitude, the nose landing gear collapsed immediately, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N340TP
- Reported as
- Aeropro CZ Eurofox LSA (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20206
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 400.7
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 9, 2016 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- FHB · Fernandina Beach, FL
- Destination
- N/A · Kingsland, GA
- Airport
- N/A · Oakwell R/C Airfield, runway 048, 836 × 70 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,637.3 total · 400.7 in this make and model · 14 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.34 inHg
- Observed at
- KFHB, 18 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 21, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 992 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.