- Date
- August 30, 2019, 07:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Murrieta, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N117BFCzech Sport Sportcruiser
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 13, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190830011609A
- Case key
- 100237
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 landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent loss of directional control and 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 solo student pilot reported that his second approach for landing was low and that, when he flared, the wheels contacted the runway, and the airplane bounced. The student did not want to stall the airplane, so he pitched the nose down to level it, but it bounced again, drifted left, exited the runway, landed hard, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that his second approach for landing was low and when he flared, the wheels contacted the runway and the airplane bounced. The student pilot did not want to stall the airplane, so he pitched the nose down to level the airplane and the airplane bounced again, drifted and exited the runway to the left. Subsequently, the airplane landed hard and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The airplane operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N117BF
- Reported as
- Czech Sport Sportcruiser (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- C0614
- Built
- 2017
- Airframe hours
- 1,053.3
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Bountiful Flight LLC, doing business as FLT Academy
- Registered owner
- Skywest Leasing Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 14, 2019
- Departed
- F70 · Murrieta/Temecula, CA
- Destination
- F70 · Murrieta/Temecula, CA
- Airport
- F70 · French Valley, runway 18, 6,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, Airframe parachute, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 21 total · 21 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KRIV, 20 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 10, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 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.