- Date
- June 21, 2009, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Emmett, ID
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N777DVStucker Virgil A Avid Magnu
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20090621015149A
- Case key
- 74101
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 improper landing flare and recovery from a bounced 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 was landing almost directly into a headwind, and as he neared the approach end of the runway for a full-stop landing he noticed that the airplane was sinking at a higher rate than he wanted it to. He therefore added power in order to decrease the rate of descent. The addition of power was not sufficient to significantly reduce the sink rate, and the airplane contacted the runway hard and bounced back into the air. After the airplane bounced back into the air, the pilot did not maintain runway alignment and when it touched down again it was off the side of the runway. During this second touchdown, the nosewheel hit first and collapsed. Immediately thereafter, one of the wings impacted the terrain, resulting in substantial damage to its structure. According to the pilot, there were no anomalies associated with the airplane's flight control system.
Factual narrative
As the pilot, who was landing almost directly into a headwind, neared the approach end of the runway for a full-stop landing, he noticed that the airplane was sinking at a higher rate than he wanted it to. He therefore added power in order to decrease the rate of descent. The addition of power was not sufficient to significantly reduce the sink rate, and therefore the airplane contacted the runway hard and bounced back into the air. After the airplane bounced back into the air, the pilot lost directional control, and when it touched down again it was off the side of the runway. During this second touchdown, the nose wheel hit first and collapsed. Immediately thereafter, one of the wings impacted the terrain resulting in substantial damage to its structure. According to the pilot, there were no anomalies associated with the airplane's flight control system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N777DV
- Reported as
- Stucker Virgil A Avid Magnu
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 105M
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stucker Virgil A
- Registered owner
- Stucker Virgil A
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- S67 · Nampa, ID
- Destination
- S78 · Emmett, ID
- Airport
- S78 · Emmett Municipal, runway 28, 3,250 × 50 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
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 197 total · 24 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 24, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 667 KB 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.
Other investigations on N777DV · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.