Pilot Debrief

Borom Long-EZ near Tucson, AZ — 2021-07-27

Final reportWPR21FA288
Sign in to save
Date
2021-07-27
Location
Tucson, AZ, USA
Airport
RYN
Aircraft
Borom Long-EZ
Registration
N966EZ
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and to retract the speed brake during the approach, which resulted in a hard landing short of the runway. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s decision to conduct a flight review in an airplane without the appropriate visibility, flight instruments, and controls for him to adequately assess the airplane’s flight parameters and touchdown point and take appropriate remedial action.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s decision to conduct a flight review in an airplane without the appropriate visibility, flight instruments, and controls for him to adequately assess the airplane’s flight parameters and touchdown point and take appropriate remedial action.

NTSB narrative

The pilot receiving instruction and the flight instructor were conducting a flight review flight in the airplane. After completing some maneuvers, they returned to the airport to accomplish a simulated engine-out, straight-in approach. During the final approach, the airplane was fast on a few occasions, and the pilot used the speed brake to slow down and descend. On short final, the airplane was slow, and the flight instructor told the pilot to use power. Although the pilot added power, the airplane landed hard about 500 ft short of the runway in soft terrain, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The speed brake was found extended. It is likely that the slow airspeed on short final approach in combination with the extended speed brake resulted in a sink rate that the pilot was unable to overcome and resulted in the hard landing short of the runway. The flight instructor elected to conduct the flight review from the rear seat of the tandem seat airplane, which was not equipped with throttle or rudder controls. Additionally, the flight instructor was unable to see the flight instruments and had limited visibility outside the airplane. Due to the limited visibility and the lack of flight instruments and controls in the back seat, the flight instructor was likely unable to adequately assess the airplane’s flight parameters and touchdown point and take appropriate remedial action.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Instructor should have ensured dual controls were functional before flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • ADS-B / radar
  • 14 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents14

Related mishaps