- Date
- October 3, 2016, 13:47 local (20:47 UTC)
- Place
- Torrance, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N232SLAirplane Factory Sling
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 18, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20161003016179A
- Case key
- 94239
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 improper landing flare in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a porpoised hard landing and a runway excursion.
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 solo student pilot reported that during landing in crosswind conditions, the airplane "porpoised back into the air two or three times, finally striking the nose gear hard." He further reported that the nose gear had been damaged and the airplane veered off the runway to the right. The engine mounts sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observing system at the accident airport, near the time of the accident, recorded the wind at 240 degrees true at 16 knots. The student pilot reported that the landing was on runway 29 right.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that during landing in crosswind conditions, the airplane "porpoised back into the air two or three times, finally striking the nose gear hard." He further reported that the nose gear had been damaged and the airplane veered off the runway to the right. The engine mounts sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observing system at the accident airport, near the time of the accident, recorded the wind at 240 degrees true at 16 knots. The student pilot reported that the landing was on runway 29 right.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N232SL
- Reported as
- Airplane Factory Sling
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 177
- Built
- 2014
- Airframe hours
- 895
- Engine
- Rotax 912 IS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Sling Flying Club LLC.
- Registered owner
- Airplane Factory Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special flight (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 21, 2016
- Departed
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
- Destination
- TOA · Torrance, CA
- Airport
- TOA · Zamperini Field, runway 29R, 5,001 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Data recorder, Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 66 total · 31 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KTOA
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 5, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 438 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.