- Date
- August 28, 2020, 15:50 local (19:50 UTC)
- Place
- Charlottesville, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N508TETecnam P92
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/ FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200828013669A
- Case key
- 101903
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 student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing and a nose landing gear collapse.
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 solo student pilot reported that during a cross-country flight, he entered the traffic pattern at his first destination, and while on final approach he needed to add power to correct the airplane’s low approach. During the touchdown he reported that the “nose wheel dropped hard and bounced twice and damaged the front nose wheel and the prop.” Subsequently, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane skidded to a stop on the runway. The airplane’s engine mount sustained substantial damage. Review of airport security video showed that the airplane touched down and bounced three times. On the third touchdown, the airplane did not become airborne again and stopped shortly after. The student pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N508TE
- Reported as
- Tecnam P92 (EA)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1110
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 2,448
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 98 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Heart of Virginia Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Heart of Virginia Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 22, 2019
- Departed
- OFP · Richmond/Ashland, VA
- Destination
- CHO · Charlottesville, VA
- Airport
- CHO · Charlottesville-Albemarle, runway 21, 6,801 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Data recorder, Electronic primary flight display
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 44 total · 44 in this make and model · 5.8 as pilot in command · 6.4 in the last 90 days · 2.6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- CHO
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 87.8 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.