- Date
- December 8, 2018, 10:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hesperia, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N947DSZenair CH 750 Cruzer
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 3, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20181208017889A
- Case key
- 98749
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 hard, bounced landing, runway excursion, and impact with a hangar.
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 pilot reported that he planned to land close to the numbers, but when the airplane was about 15 ft above ground level, it descended unexpectedly. He added power and pitched the airplane nose down, and the nosewheel touched down hard. The airplane began to porpoise, so he increased the throttle to full, but the airplane veered left, exited the runway, and impacted an empty hangar. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he planned to land close to the numbers, but about 15 feet above the ground, the airplane descended unexpectedly. He added power and pitched the nose down, but the nose wheel touched down hard. The airplane began to porpoise, so he increased the throttle to full, but the airplane veered left, exited the runway, and impacted an empty hangar. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N947DS
- Reported as
- Zenair CH 750 Cruzer (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- C75-10047
- Built
- 2015
- Engine
- Viking 110, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · March 22, 2018
- Departed
- AJO · Corona, CA
- Destination
- L26 · Hesperia, CA
- Airport
- L26 · Hesperia, runway 21, 3,910 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B, Satellite tracking device
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
- 71
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- October 14, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 25 total · 315 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.36 inHg
- Observed at
- KAPV, 14 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 19, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 651 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.