- Date
- September 4, 2011, 08:56 local (15:56 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N43220Taylorcraft BC12-D
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 1, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110904020169A
- Case key
- 81709
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 student pilot’s inadequate flare resulting in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
Findings · 6
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 student pilot and certified flight instructor were practicing full stop landings. As the airplane approached the runway, about 15 feet above ground level, the left wing suddenly dropped, and the airplane veered left. The airplane touched down hard on the left main landing gear, which collapsed. The right side then touched down hard, and the right main landing gear collapsed. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the airframe buckled below the cockpit and was substantially damaged.
Factual narrative
The student pilot and certified flight instructor (CFI) completed nine full stop landings. The wind was variable and increasing in intensity. As the airplane approached the runway, the left wing suddenly dropped at 15 feet above ground level, and the airplane veered left. It touched down hard on the left main landing gear, which collapsed. The right side then touched down hard, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The airframe buckled below the cockpit. After exiting the airplane, the student pilot noted a strong tail wind. The student pilot’s total time was 40 hours.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43220
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BC12-D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6879
- Airframe hours
- 1,033
- Engine
- Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pollock Ronald F
- Registered owner
- Pollock Ronald F
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2011
- Departed
- WHP · Pacoima, CA
- Destination
- WHP · Pacoima, CA
- Airport
- WJF · Gen William J Fox, runway 24, 7,201 × 150 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 40 total · 38 in this make and model
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KPMD
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 20, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 530 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.