- Date
- April 15, 1996, 19:15 local (Apr 16, 1996, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Sedona, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7TRBryan Glasair 3SH-3R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report June 6, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960415007339A
- Case key
- 29421
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 hard, bounced landing, and his improper recovery technique. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to attain a proper initial touchdown point on the runway surface during dusk light conditions.
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
At dusk, the pilot made a hard landing, bounced, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. An airport official reported that an examination of the runway impact and tire track evidence indicated the airplane initially touched down with its left main landing gear tire off the left side of the runway surface. Thereafter, the airplane collided with two left side runway lights. The airplane came to rest 20 feet beyond the left side of the runway and 1,500 feet from the threshold.
Factual narrative
On April 15, 1996, at 1915 hours mountain standard time, a homebuilt experimental William A. Bryan, Jr., Glasair 3SH-3R, N7TR, owned and operated by the pilot, made a hard landing and nosed over at the Sedona airport, Sedona, Arizona. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private pilot and passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Wickenberg, Arizona, at 1850.
The president of the Sedona Airport Administration reported that, as a result of the accident, the runway and adjoining property was examined. Based upon the examination, tire track and impact evidence indicated that the accident airplane appeared to have initially touched down with its left main landing gear tire off the left side of the runway pavement. The initial touchdown occurred approximately 300 feet upwind from the threshold of runway 03.
Thereafter, the airplane appeared to have bounced into the air. It next contacted the ground with all three wheels about 300 feet upwind. The airplane then collided with two of the left side runway lights and finally came to rest in the median area between the runway and the parallel taxiway. The airplane was found in an upside-down attitude, with a collapsed nose gear, about 20 feet beyond the left side of the runway and 1,500 feet from the threshold.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7TR
- Reported as
- Bryan Glasair 3SH-3R (GLASAIR 3S)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3062
- Airframe hours
- 761
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-KIG5D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Charles I. Thrash
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 19, 1996 · 13 hours before
- Departed
- E25 · Wickenberg, AZ
- Destination
- SEZ
- Airport
- SEZ · Sedona, runway 3, 5,131 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,100 total · 600 in this make and model · 1,900 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 0° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.