- Date
- May 5, 2019, 08:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sandy Valley, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N175LMFlight Design Ctls
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 3, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190505004039A
- Case key
- 99377
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 steep bank turn at low altitude, which resulted in a rapid descent and 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 pilot reported that, during a biennial flight review, the flight instructor told him to expect a simulated engine failure during takeoff and an engine-out approach to a perpendicular runway. After departure and about 400 ft above ground level (agl), the instructor reduced power, and the pilot turned left to land on the perpendicular runway. He overshot the runway, banked to 40°, and felt a "strong sink." He leveled the wings and added full power about 150 to 200 ft agl, but the airplane continued to descend. The instructor stated he considered taking the flight controls, but the pilot maintained control. The airplane landed hard, the right main landing gear (MLG) struck a hole, the airplane veered right, and the left MLG separated. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. 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, during a biennial flight review, he was briefed by the flight instructor to expect a simulated engine failure during takeoff and an engine-out approach to a perpendicular runway. He departed runway 21, and about 400 ft above ground, reduced power and turned left for the dirt runway 12. He overshot the dirt runway, banked to 40°, and felt a "strong sink." He leveled the wings and added full power about 150 to 200 ft, but the airplane continued to descend. The instructor stated he considered taking the flight controls, but the pilot maintained control. The airplane landed hard, the right main landing gear struck a "rabbit hole", the airplane veered right, and the left main landing gear separated. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located about 26 miles to the east reported that, about 4 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 220° at 10 knots, temperature 72°F, dew point 34°F, altimeter setting 29.79" Hg. The pilot reported that the wind was variable at 5 to 15 knots, gusting to greater than 15 knots, temperature 80°F. The pilot added that there was severe windshear and, later in the day, the assistant airport manager reported observing a dust devil over the accident site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N175LM
- Reported as
- Flight Design Ctls (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- F-12-03-10
- Built
- 2012
- Airframe hours
- 491
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 29, 2018
- Departed
- 3L2 · Sandy Valley, NV
- Destination
- 3L2 · Sandy Valley, NV
- Airport
- 3L2 · Sky Ranch, runway 12, 3,300 × 105 ft, dirt
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, Airframe parachute, Electronic multifunction display, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, ADS-B, Auto-pilot
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- May 5, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 24,500 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 0.5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 80
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Military, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 13, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total · 10,000 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- KHND, 26 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 16, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 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.