NYC03LA128

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 210L · Crisfield, MD · June 12, 2003

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 12, 2003, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
Place
Crisfield, MD
Injuries
2 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N1198QCessna 210L
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report July 29, 2004
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Feceral Aviation Administration
FAA report
20030612011179A
Case key
57203

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 inadequate recovery from a bounced landing and his improper flare which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing factors were the windshear and the crosswind.

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.

Hard landingLanding - flare/touchdown
Weather condition - crosswindFactor
Recovery from bounced landing - inadequatePilot in commandCause
Weather condition - windshear
Flare - improperPilot in commandCause

Analysis

The private pilot was receiving a flight review from a certified flight instructor (CFI). The CFI asked to make a landing and was allowed to do so. The CFI aligned the airplane with runway 14. The wind was from the south, southwest at 8 to 15 knots. The airplane was configured with the wing flaps at 40 degrees. Over the runway, the airplane dropped onto the runway in a nose high attitude. The airplane bounced back into the air and struck the runway again, in a nose down pitch attitude. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck a drainage ditch. The CFI reported that he experienced a windshear. Both pilots agreed that the engine responded when the CFI added power. The private pilot reported the airplane was too slow for flight and the CFI reported that the airplane would not fly with 40 degrees of flaps.

Factual narrative

On June 12, 2003, about 1100 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 210L, N1198Q, was substantially damaged while landing at Crisfield Municipal Airport (W41), Crisfield, Maryland. The certificate flight instructor and the private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Martin State Airport (MTN), Baltimore, Maryland, about 1000, and was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was to conduct a biennial flight review for the private pilot, who occupied the left seat. The flight departed on an IFR flight plan to Salisbury, Maryland. In the Salisbury area, the flight plan was cancelled, and the pilots continued to receive traffic advisories as they flew towards Crisfield. After the Crisfield airport was visually identified, the advisories were cancelled. The flight instructor asked to perform the landing, and the private pilot relinquished the flight controls to him.

The flight instructor stated:

"On approach to landing at Crisfield, I ...was on glidepath, 2 bar VASI (Red over White) on Runway 14. The runway was damp. The adjacent grass-covered surface was sopping. There was a three-feet-deep blind ditch to the Left (East) of the runway. A wind shear was encountered, and went from head to tailwind. The airspeed was 75 MPH. The aircraft bounced and moved to the left of the blacktop and the landing gear dropped into a 3' drainage ditch. The plane then progressively slowed to a stop. Upon exiting the plane I noticed the wind was 15 knots from the east."

The private pilot stated:

"I was in the midst of a Biannual Flight Review with [the CFI]...when he asked that we divert from our Martin State to Salisbury, Maryland IFR flight plan, and go to Crisfield, Maryland instead. I asked Patuxent Approach for the change, which was approved with and altitude change to 3,000 feet. A few miles from Crisfield, over the Big Annemessex River, we reported the airport in sight and canceled IFR. [The CFI] ...then asked for the controls and began a descent to pattern altitude. A minute or so later I asked his intentions; he said he wanted to land the airplane. I said: "you have the airplane; he responded: "I have the airplane". When he had lined-up on the centerline of Runway 14, I began to call-out the airspeed on a continuous basis. At 70 knots and about 20 [feet] over the runway the airspeed decayed almost instantly. We dropped onto the left edge of the pavement, the left gear striking first, and bounced into the air. [The CFI] applied full throttle, the engine responded, but the airspeed was too low for flight. We "mushed" along for approximately 200 yards on the east side of the runway, struck the grass a few times, then hit a ditch, skidded along for another 50 [feet] and stopped."

A witness reported that she was standing in the door of the airport office, and looked into the office to check the winds, which were from the south-southwest at 8 to 15 mph. She then observed the accident airplane on final approach. The airplane was close to the runway when she observed the left wing dip, followed by the nose pitching up. The airplane hit the runway in a nose high pitch attitude, and bounced back into the air. The airplane struck the runway again, on its nose wheel first, followed by the main landing gear.

When interviewed, the flight instructor reported that when the airplane settled, he advanced the throttle, and the engine responded. However, he had 40 degrees of flaps selected, and the airplane would not fly.

When interviewed, the private pilot reported that the engine responded to the throttle movement by the CFI; however, the airplane dropped again, and by that time, it was off of the left side of the runway.

According to data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), runway 14 was 2,490 feet long and 75 feet wide, with an asphalt surface.

Aircraft

Registration
N1198Q
Reported as
Cessna 210L
Category
Airplane
Serial number
21059698
Airframe hours
3,200
Engine
Teledyne Continental IO-520-L, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Paul F. McKean
Registered owner
3 R's Inc
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · June 9, 2003 · 4 hours before
Departed
MTN · Baltimore, MD
Destination
W41 · Crisfield, MD
Flight plan
IFR
Airport
W41 · Chrisfield Municipal Airport, runway 14, 2,490 × 75 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
66
Injuries
Minor
Certificates
Flight instructor, Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Last flight review
December 1, 2002
Seat
Right
Flight hours
2,500 total · 60 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Role
Pilot
Age
70
Injuries
Minor
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Last flight review
April 8, 2002
Seat
Left
Flight hours
1,507 total · 200 in this make and model · 1,426 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
230° at 8 knots
Visibility
7 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
82 °F, dew point 72 °F
Altimeter
29.98 inHg
Observed at
WAL, 18 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 N1198Q · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.