- Date
- August 10, 2021, 08:15 local (12:15 UTC)
- Place
- Mulberry, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N314SLSilverlight Delta JET-II
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- FAA report
- 20210810014209A
- Case key
- 103680
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 loss of directional control.
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
According to the pilot, he was practicing touch and go landings. He made three uneventful landings, and on the fourth attempt, he was “a little too late” on the flare and bounced the airplane 2-3 times, lost control, and the airplane came to rest in a ditch off the side of the runway. The wing was substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N314SL
- Reported as
- Silverlight Delta JET-II
- Category
- Weight-shift
- Serial number
- 0001
- Built
- 2014
- Airframe hours
- 327.8
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 23, 2021
- Airport
- X49 · South Lakeland, runway 14, 2,412 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Airframe parachute, ADS-B, 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
- 71
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- July 23, 2019
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 400 total · 5 in this make and model · 250 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- LAL, 4 nm away
- METAR
- KLAL 101150Z 11003KT 10SM SKC 26/26 A3015
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 13, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.7 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.