- Date
- October 10, 2020, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Friendly, MD
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N155TEPiper PA24
- Defining event
- Landing-aborted after touchdown: Collision during takeoff/land
- 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
- 20201010015349A
- Case key
- 102126
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 failure to maintain control of the airplane during an aborted landing and the flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action.
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
During the instructional flight, the pilot performed maneuvers and procedures with the flight instructor to prepare the pilot for an instrument proficiency check. After completing the instructional portion of the flight, the pilot flew the airplane back to its home base. During the final approach to the runway, the airspeed decayed from the target speed of 85 mph to 80 mph, and the pilot lowered the nose to correct. During the landing flare, the descent rate increased, and the pilot added power to arrest the descent rate. The airplane bounced after touchdown, and the pilot attempted to abort the landing. The flight instructor “felt” the airplane settling towards the ground again and applied aft elevator to cushion what he thought would be a hard impact. The pilot said, “you are fighting me” and the flight instructor released the controls. The airplane then continued in a nose high pitch attitude off the left side of the runaway and impacted a parked airplane before eventually coming to a stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the outboard right wing, right aileron, and right wing spar. Both pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N155TE
- Reported as
- Piper PA24 (250)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-2930
- Built
- 1961
- Airframe hours
- 2,839
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1D5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 7, 2020 · 3.4 hours before
- Departed
- 2W5 · Indian Head, MD
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- VKX · Potomac Airfield, runway 24, 2,600 × 40 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, 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
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- May 27, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 2 in this make and model · 3,500 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 353 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- ADW, 6 nm away
- METAR
- KADW 101456Z AUTO 21011KT 10SM FEW130 SCT190 19/15 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP189 T01910146 58006 FZRANO $
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 26, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 15.4 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.