Pilot Debrief

FLIGHT DESIGN GMBH CTLS near Newport, RI — 2017-09-02

Final reportGAA17CA577
Sign in to save
Date
2017-09-02
Location
Newport, RI, USA
Airport
UUU
Aircraft
FLIGHT DESIGN GMBH CTLS
Registration
N547CT
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.

NTSB narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, during the landing flare, he "felt an updraft," and the airplane landed hard. The airplane bounced, the nose landing gear (NLG) struck the ground, the airplane bounced again, and he then performed a go-around. The student entered the traffic pattern and landed without further incident. The student reported that, during the taxi to the ramp, the rudder pedals "felt funny." He added that, as he and the flight instructor put a cover over the airplane, he noticed the NLG "looked funny." He asked a local mechanic to examine the airplane and then decided to send the airplane to a repair station to be repaired. During the airplane repair, it was revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station located on the airport revealed that, about 30 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 180° at 8 knots. The same weather observation station reported that, about 23 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 190° at 5 knots. The airplane landed on runway 22.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Student pilot could have aborted landing due to updraft and hard landing.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

Related mishaps