Pilot Debrief

BEECH A36 near Cleveland, OH — 2024-04-06

Final reportERA24LA165
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Date
2024-04-06
Location
Cleveland, OH, USA
Airport
CLE
Aircraft
BEECH A36
Registration
N1861M
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing, resulting in a hard, bounced landing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a practice instrument landing system approach in visual meteorological conditions. During the landing approach, the pilot was provided a caution for wake turbulence due to a departing regional jet. During the landing flare, about 5 feet above the runway, the airplane descended suddenly and impacted the ground hard on the main landing gear before it “rocked to [the] nosewheel harshly.” The pilot attempted to abort the landing the airplane did not respond as he expected, and after several more bounces down the runway the airplane came to rest with its nose resting on the ground. A small postaccident fire damaged the area around the airplane’s engine, and the airplane’s wings were substantially damaged during the accident. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Airport surveillance video and data recovered from the airplane’s electronic flight instruments showed that at the time of the accident a 10 to 13 knot left quartering headwind prevailed. Additionally, review of air traffic control data showed that an airliner had departed from a parallel runway about 1 minute before the accident airplane crossed the runway threshold. The parallel runway was to the right, and downwind of the runway the accident pilot was approaching, therefore it is unlikely that wake turbulence from the departing airplane impacted the accident airplane.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • Photos
  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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