Pilot Debrief

Gulfstream GIV near Chamblee, GA — 2019-03-09

Final reportERA19TA122
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Date
2019-03-09
Location
Chamblee, GA, USA
Airport
PDK
Aircraft
Gulfstream GIV
Registration
N505GF
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The flight crew’s incorrect glidepath and flare to landing, which resulted in a landing area undershoot and the main landing gear’s collision with the runway threshold.

NTSB narrative

The flight crew were preparing to land after a cross-country corporate flight with 12 passengers. The pilot reported that the approach was normal but that, during the landing flare, he felt an “unusually hard impact.” The landing roll and taxi to the runway were uneventful. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage, and photographs revealed two tire tracks in the grass about 18 ft before the runway threshold and loose dirt and grass around the threshold, consistent with the airplane's main landing gear touching down in the grass and subsequently impacting the threshold. The pilot flying reported that this was his first landing on that runway at the destination airport. The flight crew did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. It is likely that the flight crew failed to maintain the proper glidepath during the approach.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Crew could have opted to hold until longer runway opened instead of landing on runway 34.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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