- Date
- March 9, 2021, 12:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Augusta, ME
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3839JBeech Sierra
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- 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
- 20210309001209A
- Case key
- 102743
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 bounced landing, and a subsequent runway excursion. Also causal was the flight instructor’s delayed 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
The pilot was performing a practice power off 180° landing with his flight instructor onboard. While on short final approach to the runway the airplane’s bank angle was about 20° when the pilot entered the landing flare. The airplane dropped to the runway from a height about 5 ft and bounced. The flight instructor then assumed control of the airplane and increased engine power to full. The airplane departed the side of the runway but was not traveling fast enough to climb and it crossed a taxiway and another runway before coming to rest in the runway safety area. The left horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3839J
- Reported as
- Beech Sierra
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- MC-752
- Built
- 1981
- Airframe hours
- 4,380
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 18, 2020
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- AUG · Augusta State, runway 17/35, 5,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 5, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 852 total · 537 in this make and model · 775 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- February 3, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,113 total · 33 in this make and model · 28 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 13 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.16 inHg
- Observed at
- AUG
- METAR
- KAUG 091753Z AUTO 30013G22KT 10SM FEW039 SCT046 OVC065 04/M04 A3016 RMK AO2 SLP216 T00441039 10067 21022 53007
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 16, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.3 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.