- Date
- July 7, 2021, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bishopville, SC · RWY 24
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1592JPiper PA28
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: 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
- 20210707012759A
- Case key
- 103435
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 flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the student during a go-around, which resulted in a loss of lift and a subsequent collision with the VASI lights.
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 flight instructor reported that while practicing short field takeoff and landing maneuvers with a helicopter rated commercial pilot, about 25 ft above the runway he called for a go-around when the approach became unstable. When it became apparent to the instructor that the airplane was not climbing, he started to manipulate the flight controls with the student to assist with the go-around maneuver, unaware that the student had retracted the flaps fully to 0° degrees. Subsequently, the airplane lost lift, descended, and struck the Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) lights before coming to rest in the grass, resulting in substantial damage to the stabilator. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact anomalies or malfunctions which would have precluded normal flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1592J
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (140)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-24002
- Built
- 1967
- Airframe hours
- 4,703.73
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 17, 2020
- Airport
- 52J · Lee County-Butters Fld, runway 06/24, 3,200 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 82
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- October 2, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 17,000 total · 50 in this make and model · 16,500 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Observed at
- KHVS, 11 nm away
- METAR
- KHVS 071755Z AUTO 21008KT 10SM CLR 31/21 A3008 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 28, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.8 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.