- Date
- December 4, 2004, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hermiston, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N420CDMaule MX-7-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20041204030209A
- Case key
- 60705
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
An improper flare and descent rate during landing resulting in a hard landing.
Analysis
The pilot reported that after flying around the local area for about one hour, he decided to land in an open field. The pilot reported that he set-up a normal approach to land over a 30 to 40 foot obstacle. After clearing the obstacle, he lowered the nose of the aircraft, then flared for the landing. The flare did not adequately arrest the descent rate and the aircraft touched down hard subsequently collapsing both main landing gear. The aircraft slid on its belly for about 100 to 150 feet before coming to rest.
Factual narrative
On December 4, 2004, about 1500 Pacific standard time, a Maule MX-7-235, N420CD, registered to and flown by the pilot as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, landed hard in an open field about 8 miles south of Hermiston, Oregon, and collapsed the landing gear. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight departed from Hermiston, about one hour prior to the accident.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that after flying around the local area for about one hour, he decided to land in an open field on his parents property. The pilot reported that he set-up a normal approach to land over a 30 to 40 foot obstacle. After clearing the obstacle, he lowered the nose of the aircraft, then flared for the landing. The flare did not adequately arrest the descent rate and the aircraft touched down hard subsequently collapsing both main landing gear. The aircraft slid on its belly for about 100 to 150 feet before coming to rest.
The pilot reported that the landing surface was an open cow pasture approximately 1,200 feet in length. The surface was smooth and firm. The wind was light and variable with an unrestricted visibility.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N420CD
- Reported as
- Maule MX-7-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 10064C
- Airframe hours
- 2,150
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-J1A5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Edward A. Pedro
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 20, 2003 · 170 hours before
- Departed
- HRI · Hermiston, OR
- Destination
- HRI · Hermiston, OR
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- February 19, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,150 total · 89 in this make and model · 1,058 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.63 inHg
- Observed at
- HRI, 8 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.