- Date
- July 5, 2015, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Montgomery, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N163PHEvektor-Aerotechnik Sportstar SL
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Organization
- FAA report
- 20150705011179A
- Case key
- 91536
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 pitch control which resulted in a hard landing. A factor contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing.
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 pilot reported that during touchdown the airplane landed hard and bounced. The third time the airplane made contact with the runway it was in a nose down attitude. The nose landing gear and propeller made contact with runway and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during touchdown the airplane landed hard and bounced. The third time the airplane made contact with the runway it was in a nose down attitude. The nose landing gear and propeller made contact with runway and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N163PH
- Reported as
- Evektor-Aerotechnik Sportstar SL
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20081106
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 318
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 30, 2014
- Departed
- 4B0 · South Bethlehem, NY
- Destination
- MGJ · Montgomery, NY
- Airport
- MGJ · Orange County, runway 03, 5,006 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, 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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 22, 2014
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 177 total · 175 in this make and model · 71 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KMGJ
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 10, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 901 KB 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.