- Date
- September 3, 2014, 12:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Grass Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N245LSFlight Design Ctls LSA
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- FAA report
- 20140903016609A
- Case key
- 90010
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 inadequate flare which resulted in a loss of aircraft control during landing.
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 pilot reported that on landing the airplane touched down hard and began to porpoise, striking the runway twice during the accident sequence. The pilot reported a loss of nose wheel and rudder control responsiveness and was unable to maintain directional control when the airplane departed the runway to the right, traveled down an embankment and subsequently rolled over, coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to right wing, vertical stabilizer and fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that on landing the airplane touched down hard and began to porpoise, striking the runway twice during the accident sequence. The pilot reported a loss of nose wheel and rudder control responsiveness and was unable to maintain directional control when the airplane departed the runway to the right, traveled down an embankment and subsequently rolled over, coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to right wing, vertical stabilizer and fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N245LS
- Reported as
- Flight Design Ctls LSA (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- F-08-05-12
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 499
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS 2, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 18, 2014
- Departed
- GOO · Grass Valley, CA
- Destination
- GOO · Grass Valley, CA
- Airport
- GOO · Nevada County Air Park, runway 25, 4,351 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, Airframe parachute, Stall warning system, Handheld GPS
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
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 26, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 410 total · 331 in this make and model · 410 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KGOO
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 29, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 954 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.