- Date
- May 4, 2017, 11:23 local (17:23 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N832SDNelson Sydney Vans Acft RV8A
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 20, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA/ FSDO
- FAA report
- 20170504003999A
- Case key
- 95110
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 and inadvertent selection of the mixture control, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing during gusting crosswind wind conditions.
Findings · 6
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 the landing flare in gusting crosswind conditions, he realized that the descent rate was a "little fast/ heavy," so he "reached to [the] left to add power and smooth out [the] flare." He further reported that he mistakenly grabbed the "red knob" (the mixture control), instead of the throttle, to arrest the descent rate. Subsequently, the airplane continued to descend, bounced hard on the runway, and became airborne again. When the airplane settled back onto the runway, the nose landing gear collapsed, the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane veered off the runway to the left and nosed over. The fuselage and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An automated weather observation station at the accident airport recorded that, about the time of the accident, wind was from 360° at 8 knots, gusting 15 knots. The pilot reported that the landing was on runway 28.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during the landing flare in gusting crosswind conditions, he realized that the descent rate was a "little fast/ heavy," so he "reached to [the] left to add power and smooth out [the] flare." He further reported that he mistakenly grabbed the "red knob," the mixture control, instead of the throttle to arrest the descent rate. Subsequently, the airplane continued to descend, bounced hard on the runway, and became airborne again. When the airplane settled back onto the runway, the nose landing gear collapsed, the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane veered off the runway to the left and nosed over. The fuselage and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An automated weather observation station, at the accident airport, about the time of the accident, recorded wind 360° at 8 knots, gusting 15 knots. The pilot reported that the landing was on runway 28.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N832SD
- Reported as
- Nelson Sydney Vans Acft RV8A (UNDESIGNAT)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 80832
- Built
- 2002
- Airframe hours
- 735
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2016
- Departed
- PUB · Pueblo, CO
- Destination
- APA · Englewood, CO
- Airport
- APA · Centennial, runway 28, 4,800 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, 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
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 22, 2017
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 534 total · 6 in this make and model · 467 as pilot in command · 130 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.28 inHg
- Observed at
- KAPA
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 28, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 907 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.