- Date
- October 5, 2018, 20:45 local (Oct 6, 2018, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Topeka, KS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N642AMZenair CH 2000
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20181005016719A
- Case key
- 98427
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 hard, bounced landing and a subsequent runway excursion.
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 pilot reported that, following his first solo flight in the recently acquired airplane, during landing, the airplane crossed the runway threshold about 70 knots airspeed with full flaps, and he placed the throttle in the idle position. During the landing flare, the airplane sank abruptly and touched down hard. The airplane bounced and exited the left side of the runway. The pilot attempted to go around, but the airplane descended and impacted the grass safety area on the left side of the runway. The nose landing gear separated from the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right fuselage formers. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that following his first solo flight in the recently acquired airplane, during landing he crossed the runway threshold about 70 knots airspeed and with full flaps, he placed the throttle in the idle position. During the flare, the airplane sank abruptly and touched down hard. The airplane bounced and exited the left side of the runway. The pilot attempted to go-around, but the airplane descended and impacted the grass safety area on the left side of the runway. The nose landing gear separated from the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to right fuselage formers. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N642AM
- Reported as
- Zenair CH 2000 (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-0053
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 1,866.5
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-N2C, 116 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- None
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 7, 2018
- Departed
- LWC · Lawrence, KS
- Destination
- TOP · Topeka, KS
- Airport
- TOP · Philip Billard Muni, runway 18, 4,331 × 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 16, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 222 total · 3 in this make and model · 159 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 170° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.80 inHg
- Observed at
- KTOP
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 30, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 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.