ERA22LA299

NTSB accident investigation · Arnold J/Jones D L AIR CAM · Sebring, FL · July 3, 2022

Accident · Serious injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal report
Date
July 3, 2022, 07:10 local (11:10 UTC)
Place
Sebring, FL
Injuries
1 serious
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N6272ZArnold J/Jones D L AIR CAM
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
Lockwood Aviation, FAA FSDO
FAA report
20220703013239A
Case key
105425

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 loss of control during landing.

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.

Performance/control parameters: landing flareAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedArnold J/Jones D L AIR CAM: 1 caseAll aircraft: 1,285 casesProbable cause

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 private pilot entered the base leg of the airport traffic pattern for landing, then he turned left onto the final leg of the airport traffic pattern, with no reported discrepancies of the aileron flight control system at this time. He “overshot” the extended runway centerline and reported the airplane was low. Airport surveillance video depicted the outer portion of the right wing impacting the ground. The pilot further indicated, “…he was not ready…” for the first touchdown and bounced a couple feet adding that the airplane touched down, “hard”, resulting in the right main landing gear wheel separating. He knew the airplane was right of the runway centerline, so he added full throttle to go-around reporting both engines responded. During the go-around he could not raise the right wing despite left aileron and rudder input. Surveillance video captured the airplane completing nearly a right 720º turn while climbing and then descending. The airplane impacted the runway while in a nose and right wing-low attitude and rolled inverted resulting in substantial damage to the right wing, cockpit, and nose section of the airplane. Postaccident examination of the flight control system for pitch and yaw by an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration revealed control continuity with no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Examination of the roll flight control system revealed a rod end for an aileron pushrod inside the right wing exhibited bending overload with no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction; no other separations were noted. Since there were no reported issues while banking left prior to the first touchdown, it is likely that the aileron flight control system was damaged as a result of the right wing contact during the first touchdown, which resulted in an uncommanded right roll that the pilot could not correct.

Aircraft

Registration
N6272Z
Reported as
Arnold J/Jones D L AIR CAM (NO SERIES)
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
AC014
Built
1999
Airframe hours
649
Engines
Rotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocatingRotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Last inspection
Annual · April 15, 2022 · 10.6 hours before
Departed
03FA · Lake Placid, FL
Destination
Same as departure
Airport
SEF · Sebring Rgnl, runway 1, 5,234 × 100 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Handheld GPS

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
60
Injuries
Serious
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Medical
BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
June 13, 2022
Seat
Front
Restraint
4-point
Flight hours
350 total · 50 in this make and model · 35 in the last 90 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
81 °F, dew point 79 °F
Altimeter
30.10 inHg
Observed at
KSEF, 1 nm away
METAR
KSEF 031155Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 27/26 A3010 RMK AO2 T02660262 10267 20231 70001

Docket · 10

The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 14, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 13.9 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.