- Date
- June 6, 2019, 20:30 local (Jun 7, 2019, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lafayette, IN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3667HErcoupe 415
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 6, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190606005989A
- Case key
- 99597
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 flight instructor's failure to maintain pitch control and his improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
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 flight instructor reported that he was going to demonstrate a simulated engine failure on takeoff for the student pilot. After climbing the airplane several hundred feet, he reduced the engine power to idle and pitched the airplane to maintain best glide speed. He applied back pressure to the yoke during the landing flare and realized the airplane was going to land harder than desired. The airplane landed hard on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that he was going to demonstrate a simulated engine failure on takeoff for a student pilot. After climbing several hundred feet, he reduced the engine power to idle and pitched the airplane to maintain best glide speed. He applied back pressure to the yoke during the landing flare and realized they were going to land harder than desired. The airplane touched down hard on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3667H
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415 (C)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4292
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 3,206.7
- Engine
- Continental A-85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Able Flight Inc
- Registered owner
- Able Flight Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 20, 2019
- Departed
- LAF · Lafayette, IN
- Destination
- LAF · Lafayette, IN
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- LAF · Purdue University, runway 10, 6,600 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 300 total · 30 in this make and model · 220 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- KLAF
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 24, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.