- Date
- August 23, 2016, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Naches, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N945PLSimmons Noel SDL
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 18, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160823018029A
- Case key
- 93908
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 landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing.
Findings · 2
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
According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he made an approach to a dirt runway. The pilot reported that the airplane bounced during the touch down, and when it settled back to the runway the airplane's heading was not aligned with the runway heading. He recalled the airplane ground looped to the right, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground. The left wing ribs and aileron sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the airplane that would have prevented normal flight operations.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he made an approach to a dirt runway. The pilot reported that the airplane bounced during the touch down, and when it settled back to the runway the airplane's heading was not aligned with the runway heading. He recalled the airplane ground looped to the right, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground. The left wing ribs and aileron sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the airplane that would have prevented normal flight operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N945PL
- Reported as
- Simmons Noel SDL (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 764.3
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 6, 2015
- Departed
- KYM · Yakima, WA
- Destination
- 4S6 · Naches, WA
- Airport
- 4S6 · Tieton State, runway 20, 2,509 × 100 ft
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, 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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 10, 2015
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 364.2 total · 360.2 in this make and model · 251.6 as pilot in command · 46.7 in the last 90 days · 11.6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KYKM, 12 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 1, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 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.