- Date
- September 23, 2011, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fresno, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N730FPFpna A-22 Valor
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 6, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110923022559A
- Case key
- 82006
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 improper flare.
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 student pilot made several landings with his flight instructor on board. The instructor then exited the airplane and signed the student pilot off for his first solo flight. Two landings were uneventful, but on the third landing, the airplane ballooned during the flare. The airplane then pitched over and landed hard on the nose. A postaccident examination determined that the firewall had buckled.
Factual narrative
The student pilot made several landings with his flight instructor on board. The instructor then exited the airplane, and signed the student pilot off for the first solo flight. Two landings were uneventful, but on the third landing, the airplane ballooned during the flare. The airplane then pitched over, and landed hard on the nose. Post accident examination determined that the firewall had buckled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N730FP
- Reported as
- Fpna A-22 Valor
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 288
- Airframe hours
- 212
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Central Valley Sportplanes Inc
- Registered owner
- Central Valley Sportplanes Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 17, 2011 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- FCH · Fresno, CA
- Destination
- FCH · Fresno, CA
- Airport
- FCH · Fresno Chandler Executive Airp, runway 30, 3,630 × 75 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12 total · 12 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KFCH
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 12, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 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.