# NTSB LAX99LA055: Piper PA-28-180, N5413S, Big Bear, CA, December 18, 1998 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: December 18, 1998, 15:45 local (23:45 UTC) - Place: Big Bear, CA - Location: 34.2638° N, 116.8560° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BIG BEAR CITY (L35), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.2638&lon=-116.8560&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 22, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 45523 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX99LA055 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/45523/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA055 ## Probable cause The pilot's misjudged landing flare, which lead to an inadvertent stall/mush 10 feet above the ground. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - flare/touchdown - flare - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - stall/mush - inadvertent, pilot in command ## Analysis A witness at the airport reported that the aircraft flared approximately 10 feet above the runway, stalled, and hit the runway hard. Examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear structural mounting bolts were elongated, the engine mounts and both main spars were bent. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions. ## Factual narrative On December 18, 1998, at 1545 hours Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N5413S, landed hard on runway 26 at the Big Bear, California, airport. The aircraft, owned and operated by Aero Haven, Inc., under 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight that had departed from Lake Havasu, Arizona, on the day of the accident. The flight was scheduled to terminate at Big Bear and no flight plan was filed. The pilot reported that the aircraft's approach speed was 85 miles per hour when the aircraft contacted the surface. He stated that the aircraft porpoised down the runway, and on the second contact with the surface the propeller struck the runway. The pilot stated that there was a loss of directional control after he lost use of the rudder. The aircraft veered to the right and departed the runway striking a landing light. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector from the Riverside, California, Flight Standards District Office responded to the accident site. The inspector interviewed a witness and inspected the aircraft. The witness stated that the aircraft came into land and flared approximately 10 feet above the runway and stalled. The inspector noted that the main landing gear was intact, but the structural mounting bolts in the wing were elongated. He further noted that the engine mounts were bent and the main spars had been compromised. The inspector observed an unattached rudder bellcrank. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5413S](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5413S-2002-01-03), registration cancelled 2002-01-03, S/N 28-7105140, built 1971 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-28-180 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28-180](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (registry code 7102808) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28-7105140 - Airframe hours: 6078 - Engines: Lycoming O-360-A4A 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Steve Alvarez - Registered owner: Aero Haven Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, November 19, 1998, 25 hours before - Departed: IFP, LAKE HAVASU, AZ - Destination: L35 - Airport: L35, Big Bear City, runway 26, 5,850 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 49; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 72 total, 72 in this make and model, 27 as pilot in command, 53 in the last 90 days, 7 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 240° at 4 knots, gusting 8 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19981218033569A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981218033569A), Dec 18, 1998: Piper PA28180, Big Bear, CA, Substantial damage. Acft landed hard and veered off the rwy. (.19) on December 18, 1998, at 1545 hours pacific standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N5413S, porpoised during landing… ## Other investigations on N5413S (2) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB LAX01FA199](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01FA199), Jun 4, 2001: Piper PA-28-180 (N5413S), Big Bear City, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the student pilot's selection of a takeoff runway conducive to a tailwind weather condition and his failure to maintain airspeed and his inadvertent stall during takeoff initial climb. Factors in the… - [NTSB FTW75DRD21](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW75DRD21), Dec 26, 1974: Piper PA-28 (N5413S), Lockport, LA, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.