- Date
- July 18, 1997, 07:15 local (13:15 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5351NChristen Industries Pitts S-2B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970718047509A
- Case key
- 20285
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
Inaccurate compensation for wind conditions and improper recovery from a bounced landing by the CFI pilot in command. A factor was a crosswind.
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
During a touch and go landing at an intermediate airport, the flight instructor said he encountered a strong crosswind and performed a bounced landing. During the ensuing takeoff, the aircraft struck the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) control box located beside the runway. The instructor flew the aircraft back to the departure airport and during landing the left main landing gear collapsed. Subsequent inspection revealed damage to the landing gear, left lower wing, and the bottom of the fuselage. Recorded wind at the time of the encounter with the PAPI constituted a left quartering tailwind at 3.5 knots.
Factual narrative
On July 18, 1997, at 0715 mountain daylight time, a Christen Industries PITTS S-2B, N5351N, collided with the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) at Front Range Airport, Aurora, Colorado, while conducting touch and go landings. The flight instructor and private pilot student were not injured and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this instructional flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Centennial Airport, Englewood, Colorado, at 0600 and following the collision landed at Centennial Airport at 0730.
According to the flight instructor, after recovering from a bounced landing, he encountered a strong crosswind and the aircraft struck an airport light. Following this encounter, he said he flew the aircraft back to his point of departure (Centennial Airport). On landing, the left main landing gear collapsed.
Examination of the aircraft by the NTSB Investigator In Charge, revealed damage to the left main landing gear, lower portion of the left lower wing, and damage to the lower surface of the fuselage.
According to the manager of Front Range Airport, the PAPI is located on the west side of runway 35 approximately 1,000 feet down the runway from the approach end. He said the control box was totally destroyed. Recorded wind at the time of the encounter was from 240 degrees magnetic at 8 knots. When landing on runway 35 a quartering tailwind from the west at 3.5 knots was present.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5351N
- Reported as
- Christen Industries Pitts S-2B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5064
- Airframe hours
- 400
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO540, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Terrance P. Sonday
- Registered owner
- High 'G' Enterprises LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 3, 1997 · 115 hours before
- Departed
- APA · CO
- Airport
- FTG · Front Range, runway 35, 8,000 × 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
- 47
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 200 in this make and model · 16,000 as pilot in command · 160 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DIA, 330 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.