- Date
- October 24, 1998, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pensacola, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N70136Peters Strojnik S2A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981024030429A
- Case key
- 45152
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 aircraft's uncontrolled climb after encountering a wind gust or thermal during landing flare without engine power resulting in the pilot having to force the aircraft onto the runway making a hard landing prior to the end of the runway.
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 pilot approached for landing in the motor glider without engine power. As he flared for landing he encountered what he described as either a wind gust or thermal which cause the aircraft to climb to about 40 feet. He pushed the aircraft's nose down to regain airspeed and then noticed he was running out of runway. He forced the aircraft onto the runway, landing hard.
Factual narrative
On October 24, 1998, about 1530 central daylight time, a Peters Strojnik S2A amateur built motor glider aircraft, N70136, registered to an individual, landed hard at Coastal Airport, Pensacola, Florida, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the private pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Pensacola, Florida, the same day, about 1400.
The pilot stated that he took off using the engine of the motor glider and climbed with engine power to 4,000 feet. After about 1 hour of gliding he returned to the departure airport. He approached to land without engine power. As he flared for landing the aircraft suddenly lifted back up to about 40 feet. He stated he does not know if he encountered a wind gust or a thermal. He nosed the aircraft over to regain airspeed and noticed that he was running out of runway. He forced the aircraft onto the runway touching down hard.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N70136
- Reported as
- Peters Strojnik S2A (STROJNIK S)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 115
- Airframe hours
- 108
- Engine
- Kohler K3402AS, 40 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Steven D. Centers
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 21, 1998 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- 83J · Costal, FL
- Airport
- 83J · Costal, runway 36, 2,510 × 230 ft, grass/turf
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 110 total · 4 in this make and model · 40 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 4 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PNS, 12 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.