- Date
- January 31, 2008, 15:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Stafford, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N211USAirIndus Thorpedo T211
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Eastern Region FSDO-27
- FAA report
- 20080131010959A
- Case key
- 67448
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 student's improper landing flare and the flight examiner's improper supervision of the student.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight examiner stated that the accident occur while administering a sport pilot airplane check ride to the student pilot. During the preflight briefing he advised the student pilot that he, the student, would be the pilot in command under FAR 61.47(b) for the practical test. On the third landing, which was a simulated soft field landing, the student pilot flared too high. Shortly thereafter, the airplane collided with the ground, and veered off to the left of the runway. The student pilot did not report ay mechanical or flight control anomalies prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The flight examiner stated that the accident occurred while administering a sport pilot airplane check ride to the student pilot. During the preflight briefing, he advised the student pilot that he, the student, would be the pilot in command under FAR 61.47(b) for the practical test. He indicated that on the third landing, which was a simulated soft field landing, the student pilot flared too high. He said that he told the student pilot to add power and conduct a go-around. Shortly thereafter, the airplane collided with the ground, and veered off to the left of the runway.
The student pilot reported that during the landing flare the airplane did not touchdown but, instead, began to climb. He said that he added more power in an attempt to recover from a hard landing. Subsequently, the flight examiner yelled, "add more power and go around," at that point, the airplane collided with the runway. The student pilot did not report any mechanical or flight control anomalies prior to the accident. Examination by a FAA inspector revealed that the firewall and fuselage were buckled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N211US
- Reported as
- AirIndus Thorpedo T211
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 007S
- Airframe hours
- 410
- Engine
- Jabiru 3300-A, 120 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dominion Air Services, Incorported
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2007 · 410 hours before
- Departed
- RMN · Stafford, VA
- Airport
- RMN · Stafford Regional Airport, runway 33, 5,000 × 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 63 total · 63 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.48 inHg
- Observed at
- KRMN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.