- Date
- October 9, 2002, 16:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Cullman, AL
- Injuries
- 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N22DBPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 1, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20021009025879A
- Case key
- 55855
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-in-command's (CFI) delayed remedial action, and improper recovery from a bounced landing, resulting in a hard landing, and impact with a parked airplane.
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
During a touch-and-go landing with the student at the controls, the CFI stated that the student "over flared" causing the airplane to climb and slow down. The CFI told the student to add power, and the student added too much causing the airplane to climb a little more. The CFI took over control of the airplane, added full power to the engine, but said he was too slow in "reducing flaps." The airplane did not accelerate or climb, so the CFI reduced the flaps to the second notch, but was unable to recover. He reduced power to idle, the airplane contacted the ground two or three times, went through the infield between the runway and taxiway, struck a parked airplane with the left wing, and went down into a gully.
Factual narrative
On October 9, 2002, about 1645 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-200, N22DB, registered to and operated by an individual, impacted with a parked airplane at the Folsom Field Airport, Cullman, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. The airplane was substantially damaged. The commercial-rated pilot-in-command/certified flight instructor (CFI), private-rated pilot and one passenger reported minor injuries. The flight departed the same airport at 1640.
During a touch-and-go landing with the student at the controls, the CFI stated that the student approached to land on runway 02, "over flared" causing the airplane to "climb some," and also "slow down." The CFI told the student to "add some power," and the student added "too much" causing the airplane to climb a "little more." The CFI took over control of the airplane, and the student relinquished control to the CFI. The CFI added full power to the engine, but said he was too slow in "reducing flaps." He noted that the airplane was not "accelerating or climbing," so he "reduced the flaps to the second notch," but said he was "too far behind the airplane to recover." He reduced power to "idle," landed hard, bounced, struck a parked airplane with the left wing, and went down into a gully.
According to the FAA inspector, the CFI said the airplane went through the infield between the runway and taxiway. The airplane contacted the ground two or three times before striking an airplane that was parked on the ramp adjacent to the taxiway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N22DB
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-35105
- Airframe hours
- 2,942
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-FB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Gary Self
- Registered owner
- W.C. Bates
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 3A1 · Cullman, AL
- Airport
- 3A1 · Folsom Field Airport, runway 02, 5,500 × 100 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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,497 total · 90 in this make and model
- Role
- Student pilot
- Injuries
- Minor
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- KHSV, 30 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.
Other investigations on N22DB · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.