- Date
- March 17, 2021, 11:55 local (17:55 UTC)
- Place
- Shepherd, MT · 18 miles north of Billings, Montana
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N43442Burg Frederick S ZEN CH701
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20210317002619A
- Case key
- 102787
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 unstable approach, and improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing and subsequent nose over.
Findings · 4
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, while on final approach to land, the descent was too fast, and he applied power to slow the descent rate. The main landing gear touched down on the runway surface and the airplane bounced with a nose high attitude. While pitching the airplane forward to correct, he misjudged the height above the runway, the propeller impacted the runway surface and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43442
- Reported as
- Burg Frederick S ZEN CH701
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7-6471
- Built
- 2010
- Airframe hours
- 513
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert J Guilfoyle Jr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 2, 2020 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- KRPX · Roundup, MT
- Destination
- PVT · Shepherd, MT
- Airport
- PVT · Owner's private airstrip, runway N/A, 1,005 × 45 ft, dirt
- Equipment
- None
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- May 11, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 865 total · 56 in this make and model · 786 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- BIL, 21 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 1, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 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.