- Date
- June 11, 2004, 19:45 local (Jun 12, 2004, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N106WRRuehle Glastar
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Dallas, Texas
- FAA report
- 20040611015119A
- Case key
- 59441
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 flare resulting in a hard landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The 3,220-hour pilot reported that the nose gear collapsed during a hard landing on runway 13. The nose landing gear collapsed and the nose of the airplane impacted the runway. Runway 13 was reported as a 5,000-foot long by 100-foot wide asphalt runway.
Factual narrative
On June 11, 2004, at 1945 central daylight time, an amateur-built Ruehle Glastar single-engine airplane, N106WR, was substantially damaged during the landing roll following a hard landing at the Lancaster Airport (LNC), near Lancaster, Texas. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditioned prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight originated from LNC at 1805.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the site of the accident, the 3,220-hour pilot was performing his fourth landing on runway 13 (a 5,000-foot long by 100-foot wide asphalt runway) for the day. The pilot reported to the FAA inspector that he "slammed it [the airplane] down on the runway pretty hard on the main landing gears quickly followed by the nose gear." Subsequently, the nose landing gear collapsed and the nose of the airplane impacted the runway surface.
Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed that the tubular frame of the airplane was fractured in three places near the nose gear attach point. The 3-bladed composite propeller was destroyed. The nose gear remained attached and was bent aft. The left wingtip was cracked.
A completed NTSB Form 6120.1/2 (Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report) was not received from the pilot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N106WR
- Reported as
- Ruehle Glastar
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 5181
- Airframe hours
- 7
- Engine
- Subaru CF4-20T, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William H. Ruehle
- Registered owner
- William H. Ruehle
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · June 11, 2004 · 1.6 hours before
- Departed
- Lancaster, TX
- Airport
- LNC · Lancaster Airport, runway 13, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 75
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,220 total · 120 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- LNC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.