- Date
- March 28, 2013, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Provo, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N986CTDiamond DA 20-C1
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 7, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20130328003569A
- Case key
- 86540
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 failure to maintain airspeed and airplane control during an attempted go-around.
Findings · 2
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 reported that, while conducting his first solo landing of the day, he flared the airplane, and the main landing gear touched down smoothly then lifted off of the ground again because of excessive speed. About 15 feet above the ground, the student pilot elected to conduct a go-around and added full power. The airplane became unstable and yawed to the right, and the left wing started lowering toward the ground. Despite pilot control inputs, the left wingtip impacted the runway. The airplane landed hard and spun about 180 degrees before coming to rest. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage. The student pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that while conducting his first solo landing of the day, he flared the airplane, and the main landing gear touched down smoothly then lifted off of the ground again because of excessive speed. About 15 feet above the ground, the pilot elected to conduct a go around, and he added full power. The airplane became unstable and yawed to the right and the left wing started lowering towards the ground. Despite pilot control inputs, the left wingtip impacted the runway. The airplane landed hard and spun approximately 180 degrees before coming to a rest. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N986CT
- Reported as
- Diamond DA 20-C1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- C0086
- Engine
- Continential Motors O-200 Series, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PVU · Provo, UT
- Destination
- PVU · Provo, UT
- Airport
- PVU · Provo Municipal Airport, runway 13, 8,599 × 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 17 total · 17 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- PUV
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 3, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 696 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.