- Date
- July 29, 2016, 12:46 local (16:46 UTC)
- Place
- Island Pond, VT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N335BECanadian Light Acft Sales &Svc Bushcaddy Explorer
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 5, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160729011739A
- Case key
- 93676
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 exceedance of the airplane's critical angle-of-attack during approach, resulting in an inadvertent stall and hard landing.
Findings · 5
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 he was landing in variable, gusting wind conditions and that prior to initiating the landing flare, his approach airspeed was about 45 miles per hour. About 12 feet above the runway the airplane lost lift, dropped to runway, and landed hard He recalled that the airplane impacted the runway about 150 feet from the threshold, the left landing gear partially collapsed, the airplane veered left and exited the left side of the runway, impacted a drainage culvert and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, engine mounts, and the empennage. The pilot reported that during the flight there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the airplane that would have prevented normal flight operations. As a recommendation, the pilot wrote that for the conditions he should have approached at a higher airspeed and flared further down the runway.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was landing in variable, gusting wind conditions and that prior to initiating the landing flare, his approach airspeed was about 45 miles per hour. About 12 feet above the runway the airplane lost lift, dropped to runway, and landed hard He recalled that the airplane impacted the runway about 150 feet from the threshold, the left landing gear partially collapsed, the airplane veered left and exited the left side of the runway, impacted a drainage culvert and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, engine mounts, and the empennage. The pilot reported that during the flight there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the airplane that would have prevented normal flight operations. As a recommendation, the pilot wrote that for the conditions he should have approached at a higher airspeed and flared further down the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N335BE
- Reported as
- Canadian Light Acft Sales &Svc Bushcaddy Explorer (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- BCLSA(AT)148
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 166
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Morgan Sport Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Morgan Sport Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 17, 2015
- Departed
- 5B1 · Island Pond, VT
- Destination
- 5B1 · Island Pond, VT
- Airport
- 5B1 · John H Boylan State (Island Po, runway 32, 2,650 × 120 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- February 9, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 283 total · 91 in this make and model · 283 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KCDA, 16 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 1, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 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.
Other investigations on N335BE · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.