- Date
- March 21, 2018, 16:55 local (21:55 UTC)
- Place
- Knox, IN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6785PPiper PA24
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 5, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180321009779A
- Case key
- 96967
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 flight instructor’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard 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
The flight instructor reported that, during landing, while the student pilot was flying, the airplane ballooned. He added that he took the flight controls and landed on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that, during landing, while the student pilot was flying, the airplane ballooned. He added that he took the flight controls and landed on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6785P
- Reported as
- Piper PA24 (250)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1916
- Built
- 1960
- Airframe hours
- 6,049.1
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2017
- Departed
- 05C · Griffith, IN
- Destination
- OXI · Knox, IN
- Airport
- OXI · Starke County, runway 36, 4,401 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 35 total · 7.3 in this make and model · 14.5 in the last 90 days · 4.3 in the last 30 days · 1.8 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2017
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,024 total · 15 in this make and model · 1,896.4 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KPPO, 15 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 23, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.2 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.
Other investigations on N6785P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.