- Date
- May 3, 2008, 19:50 local (May 4, 2008, 01:50 UTC)
- Place
- Great Falls, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N272XExtra Flugzeugbau EA300/L
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080504833459A
- Case key
- 67944
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 misjudged landing flare. A contributing factor was the glare from the sun.
Findings · 3
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 pilot reported that as he approached the airport, he was unable to see the runway due to the sun being low on the horizon until he was on a close left base for the 10,502 foot-long runway. The pilot stated that he was faster than normal as he leveled the airplane to make a wheel landing about halfway down the runway. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced and became airborne. As it settled back onto the runway, the main landing gear collapsed. The airplane veered to the left, struck a taxiway sign, and came to rest upright, adjacent to the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the undercarriage attach points in the fuselage sustained structural damage, and the right main landing gear was separated. No mechanical anomalies with the airframe or engine were reported.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that as he approached the airport, he was unable to see the runway due to the sun being low on the horizon until he was on a close left base for the 10,500 foot-long runway. The pilot stated that he was faster than normal as he leveled the airplane to make a wheel landing about halfway down the runway. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced and became airborne. As the airplane settled back onto the runway, the main landing gear collapsed. The airplane veered to the left, struck a taxiway sign, and came to rest upright adjacent to the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the undercarriage attach points in the fuselage sustained structural damage and the right main landing gear was separated. No mechanical anomalies with the airframe or engine were reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N272X
- Reported as
- Extra Flugzeugbau EA300/L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1272
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540-L1B5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David I Heaps
- Registered owner
- David I Heaps
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Departed
- MLS · Miles City, MT
- Destination
- KGTF · Great Falls, MT
- Airport
- KGTF · Great Falls International Airp, runway 21, 10,502 × 150 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 6,213 total · 15 in this make and model · 5,947 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 16 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.