- Date
- April 28, 2007, 16:35 local (23:35 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1273ECessna T206H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20070428006599A
- Case key
- 65718
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 misjudged landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing and a porpoise.
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 nose landing gear sheared off following a bounced landing and porpoise pilot induced oscillation. The pilot stated in a written report that as he passed over the landing threshold, he reduced the power, and began to flare. As he was in the flare, a momentary gust of wind caused the airplane to settle to the runway harder than he anticipated. The airplane bounced back into the air, the nose pitched up, and the left wing dropped. The pilot pushed forward on the yoke and upon the second hard landing, the nose gear sheared off. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Factual narrative
On April 28, 2007, at 1635 mountain standard time, the nose landing gear of a Cessna T206H, N1273E, sheared off following a bounced landing at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Grand Canyon, Arizona. Juliet-Echo LLC was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The cross-country personal flight departed Tucumcari, New Mexico, about 1420, with a planned destination of Grand Canyon. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The approximate global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the primary wreckage were 35 degrees 57.1 minutes north latitude and 112 degrees 8.8 minutes west longitude.
The pilot stated in a written report that, after being cleared to land, he slowed the airplane, and began final descent to land. As he passed over the landing threshold, he reduced the power, and began to flare. As he was in the flare and the airplane was in a stall for landing, a momentary gust of wind caused the airplane to settle to the runway harder than he anticipated.
The airplane bounced back into the air, the nose pitched up, and the left wing dropped. The pilot pushed forward on the yoke, and upon the second hard landing, the nose gear sheared off.
The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1273E
- Reported as
- Cessna T206H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T20608678
- Airframe hours
- 86
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-AJ1A, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Juliet-Echo, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 2007 · 86 hours before
- Departed
- TCC · Tucumcari, NM
- Destination
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- GCN · Grand Canyon National Park, runway 03, 9,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 547 total · 30 in this make and model · 446 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- GCN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.