- Date
- December 10, 2015, 20:00 local (Dec 11, 2015, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- California, MD
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N432FLPiper PA 28
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of visual reference
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 14, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Admnistration
- FAA report
- 20151210019029A
- Case key
- 92441
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 student pilot's descent below the prescribed final approach path at night, and flight instructor's failure to correct the student pilot's descent, which resulted in a collision with trees and impact with the ground.
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 reported that during the student pilot's first night flight, the lesson was to familiarize the student with flying at night, and included takeoffs and landings. The flight instructor reported that during landing, the student pilot held the approach path "for a while" then drifted below the approach path, as indicated by the visual approach slope indicator. The flight instructor told the student that he needed to climb and reestablish the airplane on the approach path. The flight instructor reported that subsequently he (the instructor) "became confused" and could not determine the airplane's position relative to the runway. The flight instructor reported that he "snapped out of the condition", but the airplane collided with trees and impacted the ground short of the runway before a recovery could be made. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that during the student pilot's first night flight, the lesson was to familiarize the student with flying at night, and included takeoffs and landings. The flight instructor reported that during landing, the student pilot held the approach path "for a while" then drifted below the approach path, as indicated by the visual approach slope indicator. The flight instructor told the student that he needed to climb and reestablish the airplane on the approach path. The flight instructor reported that subsequently he (the instructor) "became confused" and could not determine the airplane's position relative to the runway. The flight instructor reported that he "snapped out of the condition", but the airplane collided with trees and impacted the ground short of the runway before a recovery could be made. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N432FL
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28 (140)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7125219
- Built
- 1971
- Airframe hours
- 10,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Patuxent River Navy Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Patuxent River Navy Flying Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 10, 2015
- Departed
- KNHK · Patuxent River, MD
- Destination
- KNHK · Patuxent River, MD
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 2W6 · St Mary'S County Rgnl, runway 11, 4,150 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
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
- 80
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 31, 2015
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 7,506 total · 250 in this make and model · 7,300 as pilot in command · 28.2 in the last 90 days · 5.8 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 15 total · 15 in this make and model · 0 as pilot in command · 11.1 in the last 90 days · 3.9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KNHK, 7 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 8, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.