- Date
- September 25, 2020, 16:31 local (20:31 UTC)
- Place
- Chester, CT · Chester Airport (SNC)
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N35FWLancair 235
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- 20200925011959A
- Case key
- 102045
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 unstable approach, which resulted in a hard landing, and the separation 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 reported that the airplane was on short final approach when he “sensed a severe rate of descent.” He attempted to flare; however, the airplane landed hard on the displaced runway threshold. The pilot further reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Airport video revealed that as the airplane touched, the left main gear fractured, and the airplane bounced, touched down again, traveled down an embankment, and impacted an airport hangar. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35FW
- Reported as
- Lancair 235
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 119
- Built
- 1995
- Airframe hours
- 800
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 118 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 15, 2020 · 3 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SNC · Chester Airport, runway 17, 2,722 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 83
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 27, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,975 total · 3,172 in this make and model · 7.5 in the last 90 days · 7.5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KSNC
- METAR
- KSNC 251915Z AUTO 21007KT 10SM CLR 24/10 A3010 RMK AO2
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 9, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.