- Date
- March 8, 2003, 13:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Cincinnati, OH
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6995QBeech 23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030308002529A
- Case key
- 56596
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 second pilot's inadequate flare and the pilot/owner's lack of remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor was the wind gusts.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot/owner was in the right seat, and the second pilot was at the controls, in the left seat. The airplane entered the traffic pattern, and during the approach, the second pilot added two notches of flaps, and maintained an approach speed of 80 mph as the airplane crossed the threshold for runway 24. About 20 feet above the ground, the second pilot initiated a flare, and the airplane "dropped straight down," and impacted the runway. The pilots did not obtain a weather briefing or check winds reported on the field, but estimated that they were from 220 degrees at 10-15, gusting to about 20 knots. The second pilot also noted that "turbulent wind" was on the final approach. The pilot/owner reported 138 hours of flight experience and 43 hours in make and model, while the second pilot reported 70 hours of flight time and 6 hours in make and model. The pilot/owner stated there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On March 8, 2003, at 1315 eastern standard time, a Beech 23, N6995Q, was substantially damaged during a landing at Cincinnati - Blue Ash Airport (ISZ), Cincinnati, Ohio. The certificated private pilot/owner, a second pilot, and a passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight which originated at Virgil I. Grissom Municipal Airport (BFR), Bedford, Indiana. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight which was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the owner of the airplane, he and the second pilot had completed a flight from Cincinnati to Bedford, during which, the owner was seated in the left seat and the second pilot was in the right seat. After landing at Bedford, the airplane was refueled and the pilots changed seats. The owner stated that he remained pilot-in-command during the return flight from Bedford to Cincinnati, even though the second pilot was manipulating the controls.
Upon arrival in Cincinnati, the second pilot entered the traffic pattern and prepared for a landing on runway 24. He added two notches of flaps, and maintained an approach speed of 80 mph as the airplane crossed the runway threshold. About 20 feet above the ground, the second pilot initiated a flare, and the airplane "dropped straight down" and impacted the runway.
The owner reported that the pilots did not obtain a weather briefing or check the winds from the ASOS or AWOS reporting systems on the field, prior to landing. The owner estimated the winds were from 220 degrees at 10-15 knots, gusting to about 20 knots. He also reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane, and that he had 138 hours of flight experience, with 43 hours in make and model.
The second pilot reported that he intended to "land long" on runway 24, due to the "turbulent wind" on final approach. However, just after crossing the threshold, the airplane "fell straight down," and impacted the runway. The second pilot also stated that the approach speed of the airplane was about 80 mph; however, he felt he should have added more power due to the wind conditions. The second pilot reported 70 hours of flight experience, 6 of which were in make and model.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed substantial damage to both wings, the landing gear, and the propeller.
Weather reported at an airport 9 miles to the south, at 1253, included winds from 190 degrees at 13 knots, 10 miles visibility, and clear skies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6995Q
- Reported as
- Beech 23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-1102
- Airframe hours
- 2,820
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 A2G, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Douglas Kleine
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2002 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- BFR · Bedford, IN
- Destination
- ISZ · Cincinnati, OH
- Airport
- ISZ · Blue Ash Airport, runway 24, 3,499 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- August 6, 2001
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 138 total · 43 in this make and model · 72 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Last flight review
- December 20, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 70 total · 6 in this make and model · 28 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- LUK, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.