- Date
- May 23, 2009, 09:55 local (16:55 UTC)
- Place
- Ontario, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N315RAS.O.C.A.T.A. Rallye 235
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 19, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20090523007639A
- Case key
- 73928
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. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of any experience in the make and model airplane.
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, who was conducting a series of touch-and-go landings, allowed the airplane to balloon during the landing flare. The airplane then dropped in from about five feet above the runway, resulting in a hard landing on all three landing gear. The pilot then added power, took off, and continued in the traffic pattern for another landing. During the subsequent landing roll, the nose landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot, who had accumulated about 1,500 hours total flying time, had not flown this make and model airplane prior to this flight.
Factual narrative
The pilot, who was conducting a series of touch-and-go landings, allowed the airplane to balloon during the landing flare. The airplane then dropped in from about five feet above the runway, resulting in a hard landing on all three landing gear. The pilot then added power, took off, and continued in the traffic pattern for another landing. During the subsequent landing roll, the nose landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot, who had accumulated about 1,500 hours total flying time, had not flown this make and model airplane prior to this flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N315RA
- Reported as
- S.O.C.A.T.A. Rallye 235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13015
- Airframe hours
- 700
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540 SERIES, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Marlow And Lloyd Pounds
- Registered owner
- Marlow And Lloyd Pounds
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 18, 2009 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- ONO · Ontario, OR
- Destination
- ONO · Ontario, OR
- Airport
- ONO · Ontario Municipal Airport, runway 32, 5,210 × 100 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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 31, 2005
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 1 in this make and model · 1,400 as pilot in command · 0 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Observed at
- ONO
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 2, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.