- Date
- February 6, 2023, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Katrine, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N871LADiamond Aircraft Ind DA 40 NG
- 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
- 20230206003519A
- Case key
- 106837
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 an appropriate pitch attitude and descent rate during landing, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was 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
The flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction were practicing short field landings. After an initial unsuccessful approach, the pilot conducted a go-around and set up for another landing approach. The flight instructor described that after passing over obstacles while on short final approach to the runway, the flight instructor told the pilot to reduce engine power to idle so that they would not overshoot the touchdown point again. The pilot complied, and as they descend the pilot continued to increase the airplane’s pitch attitude as if engine power had not been reduced. The flight instructor noted this, directed the pilot to decrease the airplane’s pitch, and then “nudged” the control stick forward to reduce the airplane’s angle of attack. As the flight instructor released his forward pressure on the control stick, the airplane’s pitch again increased along with its descent rate, as the pilot continued to pull back on the control stick. The airplane subsequently touched down “hard” on the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The operator reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, nor did the pilot or flight instructor report any.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N871LA
- Reported as
- Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 40 NG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 40.NC107
- Built
- 2020
- Airframe hours
- 1,715
- Engine
- Austro E4-A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Take Flight Aviation
- Registered owner
- Santihoy II LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 21, 2022
- Departed
- MGJ · Montegomery, NY
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 20N · Kingston-Ulster, runway 33, 3,100 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Data recorder, Auto-pilot
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
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 20, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 640 total · 416 in this make and model · 560 as pilot in command · 113 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 19, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 300.5 total · 8 in this make and model · 117.8 as pilot in command · 4.9 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- POU, 22 nm away
- METAR
- KPOU 062153Z 02010KT 10SM OVC039 04/M01 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP190 T00441011
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 15, 2023, 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.