- Date
- July 4, 2008, 10:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Bunnell, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9509UStol UC-1 Twin Bee
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Tampa FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080704855259A
- Case key
- 68399
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 flight instructor's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.
Findings · 2
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 certificated flight instructor (CFI) and the student pilot of the UC-1 Twin Bee completed one uneventful landing on a lake. The CFI then decided to practice glassy water landings with the student, and took off to land on a different lake. A witness stated that the airplane "bounced" when it first contacted the water, and the airplane's right pontoon separated from the wing when it "hit" the water on a second touchdown. The airplane then turned 180 degrees, and sank. The airplane sustained substantial damage from the accident. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The winds reported at an airport 11 miles to the southeast, at the time of the accident, were calm.
Factual narrative
According to the certificated flight instructor (CFI), he and the student pilot of the UC-1 Twin Bee completed one uneventful landing on a lake. The CFI then decided to practice glassy water landings with the student, and took off to land on a different lake. A witness stated that the airplane "bounced" when it first contacted the water, and the airplane's right pontoon separated from the wing when it "hit" the water on a second touchdown. . The airplane then turned 180 degrees, and sank. The airplane sustained substantial damage from the accident. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The winds reported at an airport 11 miles to the southeast, at the time of the accident, were calm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9509U
- Reported as
- Stol UC-1 Twin Bee
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 021
- Airframe hours
- 3,650
- Engines
- Lycoming IO-360-B1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-360-B1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- SPS Palm Coast
- Registered owner
- Jerry Battenhouse
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 1, 2008
- Departed
- XFL · Palm Coast, FL
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
- 22
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 1, 2007
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,100 total · 75 in this make and model · 900 as pilot in command · 148 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 85 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- OMN, 11 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.