- Date
- February 4, 2009, 16:09 local (23:09 UTC)
- Place
- Whitehall, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N87349Ercoupe 415D
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 12, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20090204000729A
- Case key
- 73324
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 failure to attain the proper touchdown point and his failure to abort the landing.
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 touched down beyond his point of intended landing and bounced. He added power, regained level flight, reduced power, and landed again. As he applied the brakes, he realized that the landing roll would exceed the amount of runway remaining available. He turned hard right to avoid a fence and a ditch. However, the left wing contacted the ground, and sustained substantial damage.
Factual narrative
The pilot touched down beyond his point of intended landing and bounced. He added power, regained level flight, reduced power, and landed again. As he applied the brakes, he realized that the landing roll would exceed the amount of runway remaining available. He turned hard right to avoid a fence and a ditch. However, the left wing contacted the ground, and sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N87349
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 522
- Airframe hours
- 1,250
- Engine
- Teledyne Continental Motors O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Michael Harrison
- Registered owner
- Michael Harrison
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 16, 2008
- Departed
- BTM · Butte, MT
- Destination
- MT41 · Whitehall, MT
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- MT41 · Whitehall, runway 29, 3,800 × 60 ft, grass/turf
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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 12, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 260 total · 217 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- BTM, 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 N87349 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.