- Date
- June 25, 2009, 09:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Dixie, ID
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N725VMaule M-5-235C
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- 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
- 20090625010619A
- Case key
- 74134
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 maintain an adequate airspeed while 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 and his passenger had been traveling across the country visiting backcountry airstrips. They had spent two nights at a backcountry airstrip and decided to go on a day flight to one of the other airstrips in the area that was 1,500 feet in length by 50 feet wide. After surveying the landing area, the pilot stated that, as he neared the approach end of the runway, he was approximately 20 feet above ground level when the airplane dropped straight down. The pilot indicated that his airspeed was slow and that he most likely encountered a downdraft. This resulted in the airplane landing hard on the runway surface, and the airplane porpoised prior to impacting rising terrain and trees. There were no mechanical malfunctions reported.
Factual narrative
The pilot and his passenger had been traveling across the country visiting backcountry airstrips. They had spent two nights at a backcountry airstrip and decided to go on a day flight to one of the other airstrips in the area that was 1,500 feet in length by 50 feet wide. After surveying the landing area, the pilot stated that as he neared the approach end of the runway, he was approximately 20 feet above ground level when the airplane dropped straight down. The pilot indicated that his airspeed was slow and that he most likely encountered a downdraft. This resulted in the airplane landing hard on the runway surface and the airplane porpoised, prior to impacting rising terrain and trees. There were no mechanical malfunctions reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N725V
- Reported as
- Maule M-5-235C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7480C
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James G Kusian
- Registered owner
- James G Kusian
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MYL · McCall, ID
- Destination
- ID76 · Dixie, ID
- Airport
- ID76 · Wilson Bar USFS, runway 24, 1,500 × 50 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 1,255 total · 430 in this make and model · 39 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- MYL, 40 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 8, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 210 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.