- Date
- April 2, 2022, 11:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Saline Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N727DFFernandes Dale R Glasair II S-FT
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- 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
- 20220402008749A
- Case key
- 104884
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 failure to establish a controlled descent rate during landing which resulted in the airplane touching down short of the runway.
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 pilot reported that, while on final approach, he reduced airspeed which resulted in a higher angle of attack and blocking his visibility of the approach threshold. The glide path steepened, and the airplane touched down short of the airstrip. The right main landing gear collided with a rock and sheared off. Shortly thereafter, the left main landing gear sheared off and the airplane slid down the runway substantially damaging the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N727DF
- Reported as
- Fernandes Dale R Glasair II S-FT
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2126
- Built
- 1997
- Airframe hours
- 1,750
- Engine
- Lycoming IO360-B1E, 180 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- SQL · San Carlos, CA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- N/A · Saline Valley Warm Springs Airfield, runway 18, 1,350 × 30 ft, dirt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Onboard weather
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
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 16, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,718 total · 1,318 in this make and model · 1,673 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- KBIH, 44 nm away
- METAR
- KBIH 021856Z AUTO 24004KT 10SM CLR 21/M01 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP126 T02111006
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 30, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 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.