- Date
- May 9, 2019, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Charlotte, NC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7855WPiper PA28
- 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
- 20190509004269A
- Case key
- 99489
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 student pilot's improper attempted go-around and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall followed by a hard landing, runway excursion, and impact with vegetation.
Findings · 4
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 student pilot reported that, during landing on a 40-ft-wide runway, a wind gust pushed the airplane left of the centerline. While correcting back to centerline, the flight instructor told the student that the airplane was slow, so the student added power. While on short final, the instructor told the student to initiate a go-around and to "go full power." While initiating a climb, the student heard the stall warning horn, and the instructor told him to "get the nose down." As the student lowered the nose, he felt a hard "bump" as the airplane touched down on the runway. The airplane veered left off the runway, struck vegetation, and spun around. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that, during landing to a 40 ft wide runway, a wind gust pushed the airplane to the left. While correcting back to centerline, the flight instructor mentioned that they were slow, so the student added power. While on short final, the instructor told him to initiate a go around and to "go full power", and the student initiated a climb. He heard the stall warning horn and the instructor told him to "get the nose down." As the student lowered the nose, he felt a hard "bump" as the airplane touched down on the runway. The airplane veered left, struck vegetation, and spun around. 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. The automated weather observation station, located about 11 miles north, reported that, about 10 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 190° at 9 knots. The student pilot landed the airplane on runway 17.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7855W
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (180)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-1875
- Built
- 1964
- Airframe hours
- 3,302
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Alpha One Air Service, LLC
- Registered owner
- Metrology Services Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 8, 2019
- Departed
- EQY · Monroe, NC
- Destination
- 8A6 · Charlotte, NC
- Airport
- 8A6 · Wilgrove Air Park, runway 17, 2,835 × 40 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 8, 2018
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 2,202 total · 1,600 in this make and model · 32.5 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 124.6 total · 90 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- KJQF, 11 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 2, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.3 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.