- Date
- March 30, 1998, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Milton, DE
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N10JNGlobe Swift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 30, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980330005889A
- Case key
- 39549
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
improper flare by the pilot, which resulted in a hard landing.
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 the landing flare, the airplane dropped from about 10 feet above the runway and landed hard. The right main landing gear broke and penetrated the wing.
Factual narrative
On March 30, 1998, about 1100 Eastern Standard Time, a Globe Swift, N10JN, was substantially damaged during landing at Eagle Crest-Hudson Airport (DE25), Milton, Delaware. Neither the certificated commercial pilot nor the passenger were injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the local flight conducted under 14 CFR 91.
The pilot wrote that he was in the landing flare to Runway 32 with winds from 230 degrees, variable 200 to 250 degrees at 7 to 10 knots. He leveled off the airplane and, "the next thing I knew, the A/C [airplane] dropped straight down, and impacted the RW [runway]." The airplane then veered off the runway to the right and nosed over.
The pilot further wrote: "In hindsight, the A/C stalled about 10 feet above the RW...I had no warning that the A/C was going to stall, and the airspeed didn't seem that slow."
A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector stated that, during an interview, the pilot said the engine was operating at the time of the accident. The Inspector also stated that she observed the propeller tips to be curled, and that the fuel gauges indicated the presence of fuel. The right main landing gear was broken and driven up into the wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10JN
- Reported as
- Globe Swift
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1088
- Airframe hours
- 1,374
- Engine
- Continental C-125-2, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Audry L Barnum
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 15, 1997 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- DE25
- Airport
- DE25 · Eagle Crest Hudson, runway 32, 3,500 × 100 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,870 total · 19 in this make and model · 1,809 as pilot in command · 58 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots, gusting 5
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.