- Date
- May 20, 2018, 13:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Marlborough, MA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N143RDDiamond Aircraft Ind DA 40
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180520005679A
- Case key
- 97288
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 decision to land on a runway that was too short for a safe landing and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control in tailwind 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 landing, the airplane touched down in the first third of the 1,659-ft-long runway, but the airplane did not seem to slow as normal with the brakes applied. He pumped the brakes, but the deceleration was "less than expected." He considered performing a go around but decided to use maximum braking instead. With maximum braking applied, the airplane veered off the runway to the right and impacted a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He further reported that, following the accident, he inspected the runway and found solid skid marks from the right tire and broken skid marks from the left tire. The pilot reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was light and variable and predominately from 280°. The automated weather observation station located about 12 miles east of the accident airport reported that, about 19 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 220° at 12 knots. The airplane landed on runway 32. The calculated landing roll with full flaps was 930 ft, and the landing distance over a 50-ft obstacle was 2,020 ft. The manufacturer stated that "For a safe landing the landing distance available (LDA) should be at least equal to the landing distance of a 50 ft (15m) obstacle."
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane touched down in the first third of the 1,659 ft long runway, but the airplane did not seem to slow as normal with the brakes applied. He pumped the brakes, but the deceleration was "less than expected". He considered performing a go around but decided to use maximum braking instead. With maximum brake applied, the airplane veered off the runway to the right and impacted a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He further reported that, following the accident, he inspected the runway and found solid skid marks from the right tire and broken skid marks from the left tire. The pilot reported that about the time of the accident, the wind was light and variable, and predominately from 280°. The automated weather observation station located about 12 miles to the east of the accident airport reported that, about 19 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 220° at 12 knots. The airplane landed on runway 32. The calculated landing roll with full flaps was 930 ft and the landing distance over a 50 ft obstacle was 2,020 ft. The manufacturer states that: "For a safe landing the landing distance available (LDA) should be at least equal to the landing distance of a 50 ft (15m) obstacle."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N143RD
- Reported as
- Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 40 (UNDESIGNAT)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 40.657
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 2,176.1
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-M1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 18, 2017
- Departed
- FWN · Sussex, NJ
- Destination
- 9B1 · Marlborough, MA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 9B1 · Marlboro, runway 32, 1,659 × 45 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Handheld GPS, 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- September 9, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 15,129 total · 165 in this make and model · 2,979 as pilot in command · 48 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- KBED, 12 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 2, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.5 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.