- Date
- March 24, 2010, 10:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Willows, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N42JHHardie James D KIT FOX XL
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 1, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20100324029929A
- Case key
- 75581
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 flare, resulting in a bounced landing and ground loop.
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 during landing he flared too high, resulting in a bounced landing. During his attempted recovery, the airplane swerved to the right and ground-looped, coming to rest in the grass adjacent to the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during landing he flared too high resulting in a bounced landing. During his attempted recovery, the airplane swerved to the right and ground looped, coming to rest in the grass adjacent to the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N42JH
- Reported as
- Hardie James D KIT FOX XL
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- JCX014
- Airframe hours
- 218
- Engine
- Bombardier ROTAX (ALL), 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 17, 2009
- Departed
- CA92 · Paradise, CA
- Destination
- WLW · Willows, CA
- Airport
- WLW · Willows-Glenn County Airport, runway 31, 3,788 × 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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- June 19, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 694 total · 20 in this make and model · 647 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- CIC, 24 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 363 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 N42JH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.